CENTRAL VALLEY – As families and friends navigate the Christmas holiday this week, they will also have to navigate severe weather across the Central Valley.
According to the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall will hit Tulare and Fresno counties from late Tuesday night through Christmas on Thursday and maybe even Friday. Kris Mattarochia, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s office in Hanford, said this storm should match the intensity of the ones that hit the state just a few years ago.
“This system that is coming through is easily the strongest that we’ve seen thus far and perhaps as strong as one of those storms we had in the historic year of 2022-23,” Mattarochia said.
With how much rain is expected over the holidays, a flood watch has been issued across large swathes of the Central Valley. It will remain in effect until Friday once the rainfall subsides. The National Weather Service will upgrade the flood watch to a flood warning if needed. But even without a warning, flash floods might still appear.
Mattarochia stated the areas most susceptible to flooding are communities in the foothills such as Woodlake and Springville. The Tule River Reservation could also be at risk because of its proximity to the Tule River.
While the National Weather Service has not determined if any flooding will occur, residents in flood-prone areas should have their essentials ready to transport just in case.
“Be prepared to leave very quickly if you live in an area that normally gets high water during a rain storm,” Mattarochia said. “We can’t pinpoint exactly where that’s going to happen or if it’s going to happen at this point, but we have a high enough confidence in how unusual an event this is that spots that are typically prone to flooding could have water problems quickly on Christmas Eve.”
The rainfall should be at its heaviest on the Wednesday morning of Christmas Eve, a heavy traffic day for holiday travelers.
“People will definitely want to watch their speeds to allow for extra time,” Mattarochia said. “Traveling fast or driving fast wouldn’t be a good idea. It isn’t in any type of rainstorm but especially this one.”
With the rainstorm, thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching 40 miles per hour could also hit the Valley. Mattarochia warns that these factors combined can result in trees falling over.
This week’s storm is being generated by a larger storm that’s over the Pacific Ocean. Starting southwest, the heavy rainfall will travel northeast over the state. It should last for a few days before calming down this Friday.
