Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Another Atmospheric River Storm Targets the Valley. When Will It Hit?
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 2 years ago on
March 6, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Update: March 7, 1:50 p.m.:

The atmospheric river bearing down on Central California will arrive earlier Thursday and bring twice as much rain than forecasters had predicted on Monday.

The National Weather Service in Hanford is predicting 2 to 3 inches of rain in Fresno and 6 to 8 inches of rain in Shaver Lake from Thursday through Saturday, with the heaviest rain starting at sunset Thursday and continuing overnight into Friday.

“It looks like right now the certainty for the atmospheric river to hit Central California has increased. It looks like while we’re not necessarily in what they would call the bull’s-eye, we are now closer to the bull’s-eye,” meteorologist Carlos Molina said Tuesday morning.

Original Story

The series of Arctic storms that have brought rain to the Valley and massive snow to the Sierra will be replaced this week with a moisture-laden storm heading from Hawaii that will raise snow elevations and bring rain to the Valley and lower elevations of the Sierra and foothills.

The storm will be similar to the so-called atmospheric rivers that pummeled the state in January, causing widespread flooding along the coast and in isolated Valley areas.

“If you don’t have to be out on the road, definitely don’t do it,” National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina told GV Wire on Monday morning.

Valley Flooding Possible

The storm will arrive late Thursday, with the bulk of the storm hitting Friday and continuing into Saturday, with some clearing by Saturday afternoon or evening, he said.

The Valley from Fresno north to Merced is forecast for 1 to 1.5 inches of rain, which on top of soil already super-saturated by rain could lead to localized flooding, Molina said. The heaviest rain will be north of Merced and could total 1.5 inches to 2 inches, he said. Rainfall south of Fresno will be lighter, totaling a half inch to an inch, Molina said.

The storm will initially have colder temperatures with snowfall at lower elevations, but as it warms the snow will turn to rain, he said.

Rain falling lower than 3,000 feet will melt snow and could create some flooding and rockslide hazards as the melted snow and rain head downhill.

At higher elevations, the rainfall will be heavier, with the forecast from Fresno north to Yosemite totaling 3 to 4 inches, Molina said.

The rain won’t completely melt snow at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet but will turn the snowbanks slushy or icy and could provide some relief to snowed-in mountain communities, Molina said.

About 3 to 4 feet of new snow is forecast for elevations above 7,000 to 8,000 feet.

Preparing for Emergencies

Fresno County Emergency Services has been coordinating with law enforcement, Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, public works departments, water and levee districts, and other agencies to plan for the upcoming storm, said emergency manager Terri Mejorado.

The county already knows about those areas that are low-lying and subject to flooding, such as Mendota, Mejorado said. But officials need to be able to react to unexpected emergencies, such as last week when a portion of Anchor Avenue in Orange Cove washed out because of water under the road, she said.

“Those are the things that you just can’t predict because we just have so much water in the ground and then it starts to rain and it flows. And all of a sudden, we lose part of a road,” Mejorado said.

On the Watch for More Highway 168 Rockfalls

To make sure that there is a quicker response to problems, officials are considering dividing the county up into quadrants so that resources that are prepositioned in each quadrant can respond more quickly, she said.

CHP and the sheriff’s office will keep a close eye on the Four Lane portion of Highway 168, which remains closed except to residents and business services and which could experience additional rockfalls in Friday’s storm, Mejorado said.

Before the Creek Fire, “we can pretty much with certainty say when it rains really hard, the water comes down the hill right here. But that part of the hill changed significantly during the Creek Fire,” she said.

In the atmospheric rivers earlier this year, “a lot of water came out in places that it didn’t normally come out. … So we’re doing everything we can to be as prepared as we can for any additional rain or snow.”

Watch: January Rockfalls on Highway 168

More on the Way?

There’s also the possibility of another atmospheric river next week, Mejorado said.

“We did get a report that Tuesday, Wednesday of next week we could be getting another atmospheric river, but it’s still too far out there to be able to make any educated guesses on if it’s going to impact us and how much it would. But that definitely plays a part in planning for today, knowing that we potentially could have back-to-back storms. So that just makes the planning even more imperative.”

Fresno County residents who don’t want to wait until the raindrops start falling can head to the county’s five sandbag locations, where sandbags and sand are provided free of charge. You’ll have to do the filling yourself. The five locations are on the county website.

Mejorado echoed Molina’s advice to plan on staying close to home if possible this weekend. If you must go out, “keep your head on a swivel” and watch out for flooded areas and fallen trees and utility poles. Although not much wind is forecast for Friday’s storm, the super-soaked ground will make it easier for even a little wind to topple trees and poles, she said.

County residents who are facing emergencies should dial 911 instead of posting on social media, which may not be as thoroughly monitored by emergency officials, she said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pakistan Defense Minister Says Military Incursion by India Is Imminent

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Allows Temporary Sales of Summertime Higher-Ethanol Fuel

DON'T MISS

US Judge to Hear Harvard’s Case Over Trump Funding Freeze in July

DON'T MISS

Madera Man Arrested After Armed Robbery, K-9 Assists in Capture

DON'T MISS

Huge Power Outage Paralyses Parts of Spain and Portugal

DON'T MISS

US Sanctions Target Deliveries of Oil and Gas to Houthis

DON'T MISS

Putin Orders 3-Day Truce in Ukraine Next Month, Kremlin Says

DON'T MISS

Timberwolves Push Lakers to Edge of Elimination With Comeback Win

DON'T MISS

Dodgers Overcome Early Deficit for Victory Over the Pirates

DON'T MISS

Suspected US Airstrike Hits Yemen Migrant Centre; Houthi TV Says 68 Killed

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Naomi Kaylynn Acker

UP NEXT

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

UP NEXT

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

UP NEXT

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

UP NEXT

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

UP NEXT

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

UP NEXT

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

UP NEXT

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

UP NEXT

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

UP NEXT

The Latest: Francis Is Remembered as a ‘Pope Among the People’ as He Is Laid to Rest

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Madera Man Arrested After Armed Robbery, K-9 Assists in Capture

20 minutes ago

Huge Power Outage Paralyses Parts of Spain and Portugal

34 minutes ago

US Sanctions Target Deliveries of Oil and Gas to Houthis

40 minutes ago

Putin Orders 3-Day Truce in Ukraine Next Month, Kremlin Says

46 minutes ago

Timberwolves Push Lakers to Edge of Elimination With Comeback Win

52 minutes ago

Dodgers Overcome Early Deficit for Victory Over the Pirates

57 minutes ago

Suspected US Airstrike Hits Yemen Migrant Centre; Houthi TV Says 68 Killed

1 hour ago

Norway Establishes Diplomatic Relations With State of Palestine

1 hour ago

Kim Kardashian Jewel Heist Trial Starts in Paris

1 hour ago

NBA Playoff Guide: Who Plays When, How to Watch, What the Odds Are

1 hour ago

Pakistan Defense Minister Says Military Incursion by India Is Imminent

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s defense minister said on Monday a military incursion by neighboring India was imminent in the a...

57 seconds ago

A Pakistan flag is seen on Pakistan Rangers' Post near the Attari-Wagah border crossing near Amritsar, India, April 26, 2025. India has suspended visa services to Pakistani nationals "with immediate effect" following an attack on tourists near Pahalgam in south Kashmir. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis)
58 seconds ago

Pakistan Defense Minister Says Military Incursion by India Is Imminent

Choices at the gas pump including ethanol or no ethanol gas are seen in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., January 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
3 minutes ago

Trump Administration Allows Temporary Sales of Summertime Higher-Ethanol Fuel

Demonstrators rally on Cambridge Common in a protest organized by the City of Cambridge calling on Harvard leadership to resist federal government interference at the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. April 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo)
6 minutes ago

US Judge to Hear Harvard’s Case Over Trump Funding Freeze in July

Madera police arrested Huber Silva, 32, of Madera, on Sunday, April 27, 2025, on felony robbery and drug charges Sunday after he was located near E. Dunham Avenue with the help of a witness and K-9 Goose. (Madera PD)
20 minutes ago

Madera Man Arrested After Armed Robbery, K-9 Assists in Capture

Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 28, 2025 People use their cell phone's flashlight in a dark sports shop after the matches get suspended due to a power outage (REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura)
34 minutes ago

Huge Power Outage Paralyses Parts of Spain and Portugal

Protesters, predominantly supporters of the Houthi movement, hold up their weapons as they rally to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians, vowing that U.S. airstrikes would not deter their support, in Sanaa, Yemen April 25, 2025. (REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)
40 minutes ago

US Sanctions Target Deliveries of Oil and Gas to Houthis

Damage in a parking lot struck in a Russian attack in Sumy, Ukraine, April 14, 2025. The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a three-day cease-fire in Ukraine next month, the second time in two weeks that Russia’s leader has promised a temporary pause in the fighting as President Trump shows growing impatience with his refusal to stop the war. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)
46 minutes ago

Putin Orders 3-Day Truce in Ukraine Next Month, Kremlin Says

52 minutes ago

Timberwolves Push Lakers to Edge of Elimination With Comeback Win

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend