Gilroy could be hit with six inches of rain by Wednesday,
according to forecasters.
Gilroy could be hit with six inches of rain by Wednesday, according to forecasters.
The service issued a warning that Central and Northern California will receive a “potent storm system” that will last almost 48 hours, with up to six inches of rain and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Diane Henderson, forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Monterey station, said the weather will likely affect afternoon commuters Tuesday with anywhere from one to five inches of rain locally and winds upwards of 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts hitting 45 miles per hour.
This strong of a storm is rare for October, Henderson said. October 1981 had the highest recorded rainfall of the past 50 years, with 1.97 inches.
“We’ll be pretty much soaked,” Henderson said.
Forecasters expect up to three inches of rain in the Santa Clara Valley floor, with rain up to nine inches in the Santa Cruz mountains.
The National Weather Service Web site forecasted a 100 percent chance of rain Tuesday, with a high of 61 degrees and winds up to 34 miles per hour. Tuesday night’s low is 58 with a 90 percent of rain, and winds will decrease to as little as 15 miles per hour with gusts still above 40 miles per hour. The storm will have mostly passed Wednesday, with mostly cloudy skies, sporadic showers and a high of 71. Wednesday night’s low is 58, and Thursday will be sunny with an expected high of 77 degrees.
The storm came across the Pacific Ocean during the past week, and collided with a typhoon called Melor, which hit Japan, Henderson said. The storm system picked up Melor’s energy and moisture and is bringing it to the California coast.
Though the school district has several construction projects underway, staff didn’t expect any major issues due to the storm.
“We’re not anticipating any impact at this point on construction activities,” said Superintendent Deborah Flores. “We can work around the rain tomorrow. There are plenty of activities that can be done indoors.”
The city was also not very worried about the rain, as the ground is dry and the likelihood of flooding was minimal, said City Engineer Rick Smelser. The city’s largest concern were the high winds, which threaten to break off tree limbs and fell trees. These trees, in turn, could take out power lines, he said. As a precaution, the city’s street and park crews are at the ready with saws and trucks.
Santa Clara Valley Water District spokeswoman Susan Siravo looked on the bright side, saying a storm this heavy this early in the season could provide some relief to the drought plaguing the state.
“It’s encouraging to see a storm of this strength. We need a series of these kinds of storms. We certainly need more than one,” Siravo said, noting that rain is expected this weekend, too.
Siravo said that, since it’s still early in the storm season, the water district will not provide sandbags at the El Toro Fire Station this week. She said the district doesn’t anticipate overflow at any of the district’s South County creeks or streams.
Pete Aiello of Uesugi Farms said not to worry – while the popular pumpkin patch at 14465 Monterey Road would likely be closed Tuesday, the pumpkins themselves will be fine.
“Pumpkins are pretty durable,” Aiello said. “John Q Public buys a pumpkin and it sits on their doorstep the entire month of October and beyond. It keeps its integrity quite well. There are no weather effects unless it’s extremely hot. But cold weather and rain really doesn’t do anything.”
“We worked through the weekend, across our fields as much as we could to try to harvest everything before the weather hits,” he said.
Reporters Sara Suddes and Chris Bone contributed to this article.
FORECAST
Tuesday: Rain. High near 61. South-southeast wind 26-34 mph; gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation: 100%.
Tuesday night: Rain before 6 p.m., then showers. 58 low. South-southwest wind 30-33 mph decreasing to 15-18 mph. Gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation: 90%.
Wednesday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy. 71 high. South wind 8-10 mph. Chance of precipitation: 60%.
Wednesday Night: 20 percent chance of showers before 11 p.m. Partly cloudy. 58 low.
Thursday: Partly sunny. 77 high.
By the numbers
Record October rainfall: 1.97 inches
South County’s four reservoirs: 46.7 percent full
Inches expected: Up to 5
