Fog and Frost Ahead as Waterlogged Valley Begins to Dry Out – GV Wire

After three weeks of flooding, uprooted trees and landslides, the skies are finally clear for the Central Valley.

With scattered fog, cooler temperatures and frost.

City crews are currently working to clear a fallen tree on Blackstone Avenue between Olive and McKenzie. Expect delays in the area. pic.twitter.com/3VkkBqHITf

— City of Fresno (@CityofFresno) January 16, 2023

But Mother Nature has not yet completed her mission of participation. The National Weather Service forecast calls for continued showers and possible thunderstorms in the Fresno area Monday afternoon and evening. Winds up to 30 mph are also expected.

Tuesday could see calming winds and early morning and late evening fog – but no rain.

Looking ahead to Wednesday, there is a 50% chance of evening showers totaling about a tenth of an inch and fog late overnight.

Winter frost returns on Friday

Expect morning frost starting Friday and continuing through the weekend.

After that?

Let’s move on to social media meteorologist Colin McCarthy, who had 79,000 followers on his Twitter account when he was just a freshman at UC Davis.

“California will finally get a break from the parade of the storm that has battered the state for over 20 days starting this Friday and lasting 7-10 days,” McCarthy tweeted Monday morning. “But, there is a good consensus among models for a return to wetter/cooler than normal conditions over the last few days of January.”

California will finally get a break from the parade from the storm that battered the state for more than 20 days starting this Friday and lasted 7-10 days.

But, there is a good consensus among models for a return to wetter/cooler than normal conditions in the last days of January. pic.twitter.com/J5T5Iu6of5

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) January 15, 2023

(GV Wire/Paul Marshall. Source: NOAA)

Biden declares major catastrophe in California

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in the state on Saturday and ordered federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts in affected areas.

Biden’s action makes federal funding available to those affected in Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties.

According to a White House press release, the assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners to recover from the effects of the disaster.

Newsom visits Merced County

“California is grateful for President Biden’s prompt endorsement of this critical support for communities reeling from these ongoing storms,” ​​said Governor Gavin Newsom, who met with evacuated residents. in Merced County and inspected the damage there on Saturday. “We will continue to work closely with local, state and federal partners to help keep Californians safe and ensure our communities have the resources and assistance they need to rebuild and recover.”

Meanwhile, on Monday, Newsom signed an executive order to further strengthen the state’s emergency storm response and help communities that have suffered damage.

Big Sur Coast: Crews continue to respond to numerous locations on #Hwy1 which show significant instability due to the ongoing rain event. A new landslide covering the causeway appeared last night just south of Mill Creek. The crews are mobilized before the weather clears up. pic.twitter.com/5UeuFDchov

— Caltrans District 5 (@CaltransD5) January 15, 2023

At least 20 dead, 31 billion dollars in damage

At least 20 storm-related deaths have occurred and a 5-year-old boy remains missing after he was swept from his mother’s car last week by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County.

And, while early estimates put storm damage at $1 billion, Accuweather says the costs will be at least $31 billion.

“A significant portion of the damage to homes and businesses is from mudslides and landslides as well as water damage from severe flooding,” Accuweather said.

Heavy snow over the weekend

The University of California at Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted Monday morning that it had recorded 49.6 inches of new snowfall since Friday.

We have 6.9″ (17.5 cm) new #snow in the last 24 hours. We have now received 49.6″ (126cm) of snow since Friday.

Video: A little Monday serenity for you! It was taken yesterday morning while we were clearing snow from our main instrument deck. Magnificent!#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/HY9lEZc2dt

— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) January 16, 2023

A backcountry avalanche warning has been issued for the central Sierra, including the greater Tahoe area.

Statewide, snow water equivalent was 247% of normal through Monday. That’s 120% of the April 1 average.

As the NWS explains, “The water equivalent of snow is the depth of water that would cover the ground if the snow cover were in a liquid state.”

The tanks keep filling up