Merced area under wind advisory, flood watch as storm brings more rain to region

A flood watch and wind advisory have been issued for the Merced area as another strong atmospheric river storm brings more rain and wind to the Central Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

Merced County is under a wind advisory until 9 p.m. Tuesday and flood watch is in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to forecasters.

According to meteorologist Dan Harty with the National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley office in Hanford, about one-quarter to one-third of an inch of rain had been recorded throughout Merced County between midnight and noon Tuesday. Harty said the area could see an additional quarter- to half-inch of rain throughout the remainder of the day and into Wednesday. In total, the area could see nearly an inch of rain over the two days.

The area is expected to see a chance of thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon which could produce heavy rains and wind gusts as high as 40 mph. According to Harty, wind gusts of 30-40 mph have been recorded in the Merced area on Tuesday with winds expected to taper off during the evening.

According to forecasters, Bear Creek was recorded to be at about 6.6 feet Tuesday morning, and could possibly rise to about 15.3 feet by Wednesday morning.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Stevinson area near the Merced River, which was recorded to be above flood stage at 71.3 feet Tuesday morning. The river is forecast to reach 71.9 feet Wednesday morning.

Mariposa: wind, winter storm

A wind advisory is in effect for Mariposa through 9 p.m. Tuesday with a flood watch in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to forecasters. Harty said the area has recorded about a quarter- to half-inch of rain Tuesday, and could see another half to 1.5 inches through Wednesday.

Wind gusts as strong as 50 mph have been recorded in the Lake McClure area and are expected to taper off Tuesday evening. A winter storm warning has been issued for areas of Mariposa County with the possibility of about 6 inches of snow in the Yosemite Valley and areas above 4,000 feet, with High Sierra areas seeing anywhere from 2 to 5 feet of snow, according to Harty.

The winter storm warning remains in effect until 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.