Merced County sees minimum impact from storm

Merced County received ample rainfall from a large storm that struck the state Thursday and Friday – and was spared from the worst the system had to offer.

The Merced area received about 1.76 inches of rain between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

From midnight to 5 p.m. Friday, Merced received 1.16 inches of rain, according to measurements taken at Merced regional airport, breaking the 24-hour rainfall record previously held at 0.54 inches in 2009.

As of July 1, Merced has received 4.03 inches of rain – four times the amount received last year, when only 1.01 inches hit the area.

“In no way does this make up for the drought,” said Steve Mendenhall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. “We need about four or five times this rain just to make up for last year.”

Although there was some minor flooding, Merced County was able to ride out the storm without any significant damages.

Dana Hertfelder, Merced County public works director, said other than a few tree branches that temporarily blocked off some roads, no major obstructions were reported.

“For how much rain we got, we came out of it pretty well,” Hertfelder said. The Public Works Department did respond to calls about some flooded roads caused by temporarily clogged and overwhelmed drains. Dayton Avenue in the Hilmar area and the area between Christian and Reynolds avenues in Dos Palos were two of the most affected. Street flooding in these areas had been cleared as of Friday afternoon, Hertfelder said.

Danny Boyle, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., said 89 customers reported power outages in the city of Merced on Thursday, and another 527 customers reported outages in Atwater. As of Friday, only nine customers in Atwater remained without power, Boyle said.

Some areas of the state were impacted more severely by the storm.

The storm left about 150,000 customers without power in the San Francisco Bay Area, where almost 4 inches of rain fell Thursday. The storm dumped about 5 inches of rain in areas of Southern California in the last two days. According to The Associated Press, the threat of slides in some inland Southern California areas led to evacuations.

In Merced County, Saturday and Sunday are expected to have clearer skies, although another storm system is expected to move into the region Monday. Weather officials said it is still unknown how much rain Monday’s storm system will bring, although it’s not expected to be as heavy as this week’s storm.

About 10 inches of snow has accumulated in the Sierra at about 6,000 feet of elevation. In Fish Camp, near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park, 8 inches of snow has been reported. Forecasters calculate just under 20 inches of snow has fallen in the Lodgepole area near Sequoia National Park.

On Thursday, Yosemite National Park officials said Yosemite Falls, as well as Cascade Falls and Bridalveil Fall, are still going strong from the last heavy rainfall. While rain is good news, snow is even better because it will last throughout the winter season, officials said.

Maxwell Norton, a farm adviser for the UC Cooperative Extension in Merced County, agrees snow is better news. “The snowpack is what helps fill all the reservoirs,” Norton said. He explained that full reservoirs allow irrigation districts to deliver a normal amount of water, and then this allows farmers to pump less water from the ground.

The rain is most beneficial to farmers who grow row crops, such as grains, he said. Orchards and vineyards also benefit because it solves problems with salt buildup. Salt is added to soil through fertilizer and manure, and over time salt levels can become a problem. Rainfall helps wash out the salt, Norton explained.

According to Norton, it will take several rain seasons before farmers can experience any significant relief.

This story was originally published December 12, 2014 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Merced County sees minimum impact from storm."