Merced could see first rain since January, but don’t get too excited, forecasters say
Rain could fall in Merced on Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 17, but meteorologists say the break in the dry spell will be brief and light at best.
In total, Merced is expected to receive up to a tenth of an inch of rain.
“That’s a light rain,” David Spector, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Hanford office, told the Sun-Star.
Afternoon showers in the Merced region and around the San Joaquin Valley are projected to continue into Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms may be heard across the Valley as well.
Tuesday’s showers will contribute “hardly anything” to relieving dry conditions in Merced, Spector said. The entire county is currently under severe drought, as is most of the state, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System. Last month marked the second-driest January in Merced on record over the past 128 years.
So far, rainfall this calendar year is nearly 4 inches below normal in Merced, Spector said. The water year, which starts Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, is 1.74 inches behind.
The next sight of rain in Merced’s forecast could come Sunday, but odds of precipitation are only as high as 30%, Spector said.
While no rain is projected in Merced over the next couple of days, the National Weather Service has put out a freeze warning for chilly temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday. Forecasters encourage residents to bring pets inside at night, wrap exposed pipes and cover frost-sensitive plants.
Nighttime temperatures on Tuesday might get low as 31 degrees in Merced, the National Weather Service estimates.
A high of 53 degrees on Wednesday could sink as low as 26 degrees that night. Thursday will be only slightly warmer, with a high of 56 degrees and a low of 29.
“It’s going to be cold for the rest of the week,” Spector said. “Winter has returned.”
