Merced holiday drivers should prepare for Valley rain, Sierra snow, says weather service
Merced County drivers heading to destinations as Christmas approaches should be careful, as the first storms of winter are expected to bring rainfall to the San Joaquin Valley floor and heavy snow in the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
According to the National Weather Service, the Merced area is expected to see rain from Thursday through Christmas, possibly bringing up to 2 inches of rain during that period. Mariposa is expected to get as much as 5 inches of rain through Saturday.
Merced has an 60% chance of rain Wednesday afternoon, increasing to 80% into the evening. Rain is expected for most of Thursday.
“It’s a very significant, very welcome storm system,” said Jim Dudley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford. “ Obviously, we’re still in a major drought, and these weather systems coming through helps alleviate that situation a little bit more.”
The National Weather Service issued a storm warning for the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday, putting as much as 8 feet of snow in the highest elevations of 7,000 feet – although that’s expected to get up to 9 feet through Christmas.
Lower down, Tuolumne Meadows is getting 70 inches of snow through Christmas day and Yosemite Valley is expected to get nine to 12 inches of snow. Whiteout conditions and heavy snowfall can be expected around 7,000 feet, forecasters said, and roads can be icy and slick with reduced visibility.
Because of the weather conditions expected through the holiday weekend, NWS urged drivers in the mountains to expect some travel to be difficult or impossible, that road closures are an inevitability and likely will delay travel plans.
For those headed to Southern California, travel over the Grapevine could become tricky over the weekend. Snow is expected to fall over the Grapevine, which might lead to challenges to travel from the valley.
“That will be something people will need to keep an eye on and stay aware of what the road conditions might be,” Dudley said.
“As we know, it only takes an inch or two of snow on the Grapevine to close that road. Obviously, you don’t want to be trying to travel over that road if it’s going to be closed, so that’s something travelers will need to keep in mind as they make their plans.”
Travelers to Bay Area can also expect rain
Rainfall in the San Francisco Bay Area that started earlier in the week is expected to taper off by Thursday afternoon, and on Christmas Eve, more moderate rainfall leading into Christmas morning.
“We need the rain and we need the snow, and we’re gonna get it. So that’s a good thing,” Dudley said. “Unless you’re traveling.”
However, the timing of the rain is proving tricky to pin down, according to Bay Area forecasters.
“This pattern that’s set up is going to make timing to be very challenging,” said David King, a meteorologist with the NWS Monterey Office. “It’s just a matter of when the swath of moisture comes over the ocean and starts to precipitate over land. But for the most part, we’re expecting fairly light rain and periods of more moderate rain.”
According to AAA, more than 109 million people nationwide are expected to travel nationwide for the holidays, up 34% from holiday travel last year. Airlines are expected to see a 184% increase in travel over last year, while overall, travel this season will hit 92% of 2019 levels.
“Americans who canceled their vacation in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a news release.
“With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 12:50 PM.