Rain expected in Merced over weekend, part of Hwy. 59 remains closed due to flooding
The Merced area will see more rain this weekend as showers are expected to move through the area, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologist Brian Ochs at the weather service’s San Joaquin Valley office in Hanford said storms have dumped about 1.15 inches of rain in Merced this week. While there are no flood watches or warnings currently in effect for the area, some high flows have been recorded in Merced’s Bear Creek.
Ochs said recent readings show the water level reached the monitor stage in the creek peaking at about 17 feet. The level was expected to recede throughout the day Wednesday. Wind gusts in the Merced area reached 23 mph Wednesday, with Tuesday’s strongest gust reaching 30 mph.
A freeze warning was issued for the Merced area beginning Wednesday night into Thursday morning, as temperatures were expected to drop to about 30 degrees.
Ochs reminded that the cold temperatures can pose a risk to vegetation and those sensitive to the cold.
High temperatures in the mid 50s are expected Thursday, before dropping to the low 30s overnight and into Friday morning. A freeze watch has been issued for the area for Thursday night into Friday morning. Friday’s high temperatures are expected to reach the upper 50s and more rain is expected in the area over the weekend.
According to Ochs, the Merced area is expected to see a 40% chance of rain on Saturday, with showers possible late in the afternoon and into Sunday. The area has a 50% chance of rain Sunday with a weekend rainfall total expected to be around a quarter of an inch. The weekend rainfall is not expected to cause any flooding, Ochs said.
Mariposa County slammed
Multiple roads have been closed in the Mariposa area due to hazardous conditions including heavy snow, downed power lines and falling trees, according to a Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office social media post Wednesday. According to authorities, the closures include Worman Road, Harris Road, Chowchilla Mountain Road, Darrah Road at Cole Road, Allred Road, Silva Road, East Westfall Road, Whitlock Road, Jerseydale Road, Tip Top Road and Wass Road.
All roads inside the Ponderosa Basin subdivision, the Lush Meadows subdivision area and Triangle Road from Highway 140 to Highway 49, including all side roads, are also closed, according to authorities.
According to Ochs, roughly 15 inches of snowfall has been recorded in the past 24 hours at a location at about 3,500 feet elevation in the area of the Ponderosa Basin. Ochs said meteorologists had forecast several inches up to a foot of snow for the area over the past 24 hours, but exact snowfall totals are unknown at this time.
“We do know there have been closures all over the foothills,” said Ochs.
Yosemite snowfall
Ochs said recent snowfall totals for Yosemite are unknown at this time, but the area’s snow water equivalent is about 200% more than the average for this time of year.
The Yosemite area could see a dusting of snow up to one inch Wednesday as blizzard warnings are no longer in effect for the area, according to Ochs. The weekend could bring with it more snow to the Yosemite area, including the valley and higher elevations, which could see several inches up to about one foot of snow on Saturday.
Ochs said the Yosemite area could see as much as 6-12 inches of snow Saturday night and into Sunday morning, with higher elevations possibly seeing as much as 15 inches of snow.
Merced County highway closure
South of the city of Merced, a section of Highway 59 between Reilly Road and Sandy Mush Road remained closed Wednesday due to Mariposa Creek flooding, according Merced-area California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Zuniga. There was no timetable for reopening the nearly 10-mile stretch of highway.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 12:32 PM.