After light rain in Merced County, here’s what forecasters expect for later this week
Merced’s rainfall has petered out for now, but National Weather Service meteorologists project that Valley drivers should be cautious of dense fog conditions potentially clouding mornings throughout the next week.
“Travelers definitely want to be aware,” said Jim Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Hanford office.
Drivers should slow down, remember to use their vehicle’s low beams instead of brights and give themselves extra time to get to destinations when fog is present, he said.
The National Weather Service is projecting dense morning fog followed by clear skies through Monday. Peak temperatures are expected to reach the high 60s and low 70s, dipping to about 50 degrees at night. Wednesday could bring wind up to 15 mph, but gusts should slow to a calm wind for the rest of the week.
Rain from recent storm
The forecast’s blue skies mean no rain is anticipated in Merced in the immediate future. The recent storm dropped .25 inches in Merced between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
“A bunch of little rain soaking events like this, that would be great,” Anderson said. “It’s not a heavy rain, it’s definitely not gonna bust any droughts by any means but any bit helps.”
Merced’s rainfall since January tallies 6.48 inches compared to a normal value of 9.13 inches, Anderson said.
Most of Merced County, like much of the Valley, is in the midst of D4 exceptional drought conditions, according to the national drought information system. D4 marks the most severe drought category out of the four-tier system.
California as a whole is experiencing its eighth driest year over the last 127 years, with most of the state showing D4 or D3, extreme drought, conditions.
The heavy rain at the end of October however, which marked the Valley’s strongest storm in years, was enough to put Merced ahead of average seasonal metrics. Normal conditions from Oct. 1 through Nov. 8 typically drop about .90 inches of rain. October’s big storm boosted observed conditions past that to 1.76 inches, Anderson said.
“I guess the takeaway here is we are getting some (storm) systems come through,” Anderson said. “The drought however has been a number of years here in the making.”
The Valley’s north and east regions received most of the recent storm’s rainfall, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains seeing snowfall above 6,500 feet.
Forecasters expected 6 to 12 inches of snow in some high elevations, but official counts are not yet available, according to Anderson. Travelers ascending mountain passes should carry chains and be prepared for snowy conditions, he said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 1:01 PM.
