Gilroy soaked up 2.33 inches in the last 24 hours according to the rain gauge at Gilroy’s Chestnut fire station. All roads are open at this time.
On Sunday afternoon, the parking lot between Panera and Starbucks in the Gilroy Crossing Shopping Center on Highway 152 flooded. Water started to accumulate in the parking area around 2 p.m. and it continued to rise, said Panera manger Laura Huitron. Employees went out to move their cars, but one car got stuck and had to be pulled out around 8:30 p.m., she said. About one to two feet of standing water filled 15 to 20 spaces in the parking lot, Huitron said.
“It usually floods when it rains really hard,” she said. “This is the first time this year that its been like this.”
Most of the water was gone by the time she got in for her Monday morning shift.
As for the rest of Gilroy, the National Weather Service reported no flooding, although rising water levels in the LLagas creek resulted in ponding on city streets and some rural areas over the weekend. Discharge from the creek was a little more than 10 cubic feet per second, which approached but did not exceed the Dec. 31 2005 record peak of 11.4 inches.
Most roads are faring well as the California Highway Patrol has not had any official reports of flooding. The Santa Clara County road closures hotline did not report any issues either.
According to the CHP, there have not been any major weather-related accidents. As always, the CHP urges drivers to be cautious on the wet roads, especially before passing through any water.
The NWS sent out an urban and small stream flooding warning, urging residents to be mindful of nearby creeks and small water sources that might exceed their limits.
According to the NWS, Gilroy will see some light rain Tuesday evening with a few intermittent showers Wednesday. Expect clear skies through the rest of the week until Saturday, when the precipitation is expected to return, according to the NWs.
