Merced County can expect more rain into the coming week

Merced County residents will need to keep an umbrella handy this week, as the rain will keep coming.

More was expected beginning mid-Sunday afternoon, according to Jim Dudley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

“More will come tonight, though we are not expecting a tremendous amount,” Dudley said. “We’ll have at least a quarter inch of rain by today.”

There will be about 2 1/2 inches in Merced from Wednesday to Friday, Dudley said, and 3 1/2 inches into the foothills.

Rainfall in January, Dudley said, of course is typical, but it is the amount that differs. With just 2.2 total inches falling so far this season, that “runs 10% below normal,” exacerbating drought conditions. And the start of a new year has not brought much relief.

“In Merced, we had .27 inches of rain this month,” Dudley said, “in Los Banos .13 inches of rain, and in Gustine we had .17 inches.

“Drought brought us a short-term amount of rain, and we can’t just take that out. This is a long-term phenomenon and if we get more rain in February and March, that will determine if we get out of the drought or if we don’t get out of the drought.”

Blustery conditions linger

The most severe winds of the past week, known as Mono winds, that hit Yosemite National Park and elsewhere in Mariposa County, knocking down hundreds of trees, are gone. But windy weather will linger.

While there is no longer an active wind advisory, Dudley said, residents can expect gusts of 35 mph to 45 mph.

This story was originally published January 24, 2021 at 3:20 PM.