Still no rain in sight in Merced

A storm came blowing into California this week, but the coastal mountains prevented the Merced area from receiving any measurable amount of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

There was an occasional drizzle in Merced early Wednesday, but the region is not likely to get any notable precipitation in the foreseeable future, according to Jim Andersen, a meteorologist with the weather service in Hanford.

“There’s still some stuff coming from the southwest, however, it’s very light,” he said. “A lot of rain falls on the west side of the mountains.”

Forecasters have said El Niño, a climate pattern that tends to bring many rainstorms, is known to have a dry spell. In Merced, that dry spell has essentially lasted since Feb. 1.

The Merced area recorded trace amounts of precipitation on Wednesday and one other time earlier in the month, Andersen said, but trace amounts are not much different than zero.

Wednesday’s storm blew cooler air into the Merced area. Andersen said high temperatures will stay in the low to mid-60s through the weekend but are expected to get back into the 70s going into next week.

The foothills have not fared much better, he said. Rain totals came in under a half-inch in Mariposa.

While the cooler, moist air won’t bring rain clouds, Andersen said, they are expected to bring fog. Drivers should be ready for fog on Sunday morning and into next week.

Snow is expected at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. The National Weather Service expects about 1 to 2 feet of fresh snow at the highest peaks, with snow rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour.

Meteorologist Edan Weishahn said gusty winds also are expected in the mountains.

The system moving into California from the north should be in and out quickly, leaving the forecast for Thursday cold and breezy with some leftover snowfall.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Still no rain in sight in Merced."