Fall storm dumps nearly an inch of rain

Merced County residents pulled out umbrellas and dodged deep puddles Monday as many ventured out into the first big rain of the season.

Nearly an inch of rain fell in Merced as of late afternoon Monday, a record for the date, according to William Peterson, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The steady soaking brought the total rain count for the rainy season, which began Oct. 1, from below average to above normal, Peterson said. So far this rainy season, Merced has received about 1.35 inches, compared to the average first-month total of about 0.91 inches, though the averages for recent years have been well below that amount due to the drought.

Peterson said Valley residents could see further off-and-on showers throughout the day Tuesday, or none at all.

Temperatures were expected to linger in the mid-60s for the remainder of the week, with possible fog in the mornings giving way to sunny skies in the afternoons. Nighttime lows are set in the low 40s with patchy fog.

Snow levels in the Sierra on Monday dipped from 9,000 feet to as low as 5,000 feet, according to the weather service. Forecasters said the storm could dump up to 8 inches of snow at about 7,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, and possibly up to a foot of snow along the highest mountain peaks. In Yosemite, officials reported snow as low as 6,000 feet and said Tioga Road would be closed through Wednesday because of the storm.

Merced- and Modesto-area California Highway Patrol cited rain as the cause of several solo-vehicle accidents in the early-morning hours Monday, but no serious injuries were reported.

South of Bakersfield, a 20-car pileup on southbound Highway 99 north of Road 223 about noon shut down two of three lanes of traffic, the California Highway Patrol reported. Injuries were reported to be minor, and the roadway was cleared by early afternoon.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Fall storm dumps nearly an inch of rain."