Merced a ‘big winner’ in weekend storm

Not even halfway through April, Merced has been soaked with more than twice the rainfall than is typical for the entire month, forecasters said Monday.

Beginning Friday night, Merced saw 2.44 inches of rain through the weekend, which is the only rainfall since April 1. The 30-year average for April is 0.34 inches, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

“That’s a substantial amount of precipitation anywhere in Central California,” meteorologist Scott Rowe said.

The spotty showers didn’t touch most parts of the San Joaquin Valley, Rowe said, but they dropped a fair amount of water over Merced and Mariposa counties. “Merced was one of the big winners,” he said.

The next storm system is set to enter from the coast and may skirt Merced altogether on its way south, Rowe said. There’s a 30 percent chance of rain in Merced late Wednesday and early Thursday.

He said that storm system is expected to bring gusty winds to highways and farms. High temperatures are expected to hover in the low 70s this week, which is normal for this time of year, until the weekend. A high of 84 degrees is expected Sunday.

April is typically when the Merced area moves further into warmer and drier weather, Rowe said.

Thanks in part to the weekend showers, waterfalls in Yosemite National Park will likely reach peak flows between now and May, The Associated Press reported.

Thunderstorms, showers and intense periods of rain on top of snow have unleashed snowmelt in the Yosemite Valley.

High waters have closed the Merced River to rafting for a few days. At Pohono Bridge, which is west of Bridalveil Fall, the Merced hit nearly 8 feet at the gauge. That is nearly three times the flow on April 1, though below flood stage at 10 feet.

Other waterfalls that are thundering include Yosemite Falls, Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall. Others are near peak flow.

The April 1 snow survey measured the water content of the Merced Watershed at 91 percent of normal, and in the Tuolumne Watershed, 89 percent of normal.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Merced a ‘big winner’ in weekend storm."