Trees tumble, big rig jacknifes on blustery day, but Christmas should be nice

A rainy and windy Friday took its toll around Merced County, with trees falling and cars crashing throughout the day.

Areas around Merced County were expected to get a half-inch to a full inch of rain in the storm that began Friday and was forecast to continue through Christmas Eve, according to Bill Peterson, a meteorologist technician with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

“Christmas is going to be really nice with patchy fog in the morning,” he said.

The rainy season to date has recorded 3.72 inches, which is almost an inch more than the average of 2.92 inches, according to Peterson. The season to date is about 30 percent better than average, Peterson noted.

Winds and rain felled at least three trees in Merced, including one at 12th and V streets that came crashing down on multiple cars. Several dozen feet tall, the tree severed inches above the ground and a GMC truck took most of the damage.

The owners of the truck, who declined to give their names, stood by and watched as Merced Public Works crews did away with the tree.

Trees at Denver Avenue and Loughborough Drive and in the 300 block of East 20th Street also had to be removed, according to Mike Conway, a spokesman for the city of Merced.

The city cuts trees that look unstable throughout the year. “We go around and check trees to see what we can tell, but there’s always acts of God and wind,” he said.

No injuries were reported related to any of the fallen trees. Conway said the city saw its typical amount of backed-up gutters, but no excessive flooding.

The rain may have also contributed to traffic problems on Highway 99. A big rig left the roadway about 2 p.m. near the onramp at Westside Boulevard, according to Officer Moises Onsurez of the California Highway Patrol.

No injuries were reported in the single-vehicle incident in Atwater, but the big rig jackknifed and was stuck in the mud, Onsurez said. The CHP planned to shut down one lane of traffic to remove the truck from the mud.

After Christmas Eve morning, there is no rain in the seven-day forecast, according to Peterson. The foreseeable forecast is calling for highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Trees tumble, big rig jacknifes on blustery day, but Christmas should be nice."