Merced area could see nearly an inch of rain this week, according to forecasters

After seeing a brief break from rainstorms, the Merced area is expected to get nearly an inch of rain this week, according to forecasters.

Merced is expected to see more rain Monday with chances of precipitation continuing through most of the week, according to meteorologist Jim Bagnall at the National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley office in Hanford. In the 48-hour period ending midday Sunday the Merced area recorded about 0.2 inches of rain with most of the rainfall occurring overnight and into Sunday, according to Bagnall.

More rain was expected Sunday with showers throughout the afternoon and the possibility for another tenth of an inch by the end of the day. Forecasters expect to see a break from the rain Monday with a high in the low 60s before about a 40% chance of rain Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.

“The next bigger storm system is due to move in early Tuesday morning,” Bagnall said.

The Merced area is expected to see an 80-90% chance of rain Tuesday and into Wednesday. A 20-30% chance of rain is expected Wednesday with the rain beginning to break up in the afternoon.

The system expected to move through the Merced area Tuesday and into Wednesday could bring about 0.75-1 inch of rain. With high flows in rivers and other area waterways “it could cause flooding concerns adding that additional rainfall in,” said Bagnall.

There were no flood watches or warnings in effect for the area as of midday Sunday, according to forecasters.

A flood warning was in effect until further notice for the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge area near Stevinson. According to Bagnall at about 8 a.m. Sunday, the Merced River was last recorded to be above flood stage at 71.3 feet in Stevinson, with the level expected to rise to about 71.7 feet later in the week. Flood stage is 71 feet.

In Merced, Bear Creek was last recorded at 6.7 feet Sunday morning and is forecast to reach about 16.6 feet by Wednesday, well below the flood stage of 23 feet.

The Merced are is expected to see a break from the rain on Thursday with high temperatures in the low 60s.

“Thursday (is) expected to be dry but then we’re looking at possibly by the end of the week, Friday, maybe another system brushing the area,” Bagnall said.

The Mariposa area could see about 0.5 inches of rain Sunday with the next system expected to bring about 1.6 inches of rain to the area this week.

This story was originally published March 19, 2023 at 12:40 PM.