Merced received half an inch of rain from a storm that started late Sunday night and continued until the pre-dawn hours, then resumed late Monday morning.
The Badger Pass ski area in Yosemite National Park received 8 inches of new snow, and a park spokesman said the valley floor now has between 12 and 14 inches of powder.
Meteorologist Jim Bagnall of the National Weather Service's Hanford office said a lowpressure system off the California coast will drop rain on the Merced area through tonight before moving eastward.
There will be a brief break Wednesday, Bagnall said, before another storm hits the area Thursday. Merced received 3.37 inches of rain in December, according to National Weather Service reports.
Scott Gediman, a Yosemite spokesman, said it was snowing heavily in the park Monday morning and flurries continued off and on during the day. Tire chains are required for vehicles traveling in Yosemite.
This has created difficult winter driving conditions and led to two non-injury accidents on Highway 41 in the park. In one instance, a large truck slid off the road and in the other, a passenger vehicle couldn't handle the icy conditions, Gediman said.
But with careful driving, there's no reason not to come up, he said.
"It's beautiful; the skiing is great at Badger Pass with good new snow," Gediman said.
A downed tree struck power lines, and electricity has been out since Thursday in the Wawona area, affecting 200 to 300 customers. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. crews were working in rugged, snowy terrain, and no time estimate was available for restoration of Wawona electrical service.
Weekend guests at the Wawona Hotel were served by emergency generators and propane heaters for cooking and room heat, Gediman said.
E.C. "Ted" Selb, deputy general manager of the Merced Irrigation District, said he's encouraged by this area's water prospects, but said it's still too early to feel comfortable about the overall season's prospects.
Selb said this area's water levels are 151 percent of normal for this date in the upper Merced River watershed. This area is at 58 percent of the April 1 average determined by the state Department of Water Resources.
Remote snow sensors at Ostrander Lake, at 8,200 feet at the east end of Yosemite National Park in the Merced River watershed, show the snow-water equivalent content at 18.5 inches, which equates to 88 inches of snow depth, Selb said.
On Dec. 8, this same measurement stood at only 7 inches.
The latest rains also have added more than 25,000 acre-feet of water to Lake McClure, bringing the Exchequer Reservoir storage level to 301,000 acre-feet. It had been 275,000 acre-feet on Dec. 29, Selb said.
Last year at this time, the Merced area was in equal or better shape water-wise, but rainfall figures tapered off last spring. Still, Selb said, revised National Weather Service projections show a better chance of above-average precipitation this month.
One indicator of the area's water storage situation is that recent runoff has covered the old Exchequer Dam, which was inundated in 1967 when the new Exchequer Reservoir was built. The newer reservoir holds a million acre-feet of water.
"The old Exchequer Dam was submerged on Saturday, and that's always a good thing. I hope we don't see (the old reservoir) again for as long as possible," Selb said.
The old dam reappeared in the drought of 1976-77, every year from 1988-1992 and again in October 2003 and October 2004, Selb said.
Late Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service downgraded a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevada to a snow advisory, which remains in effect until 4 a.m. today.
The NWS said snow showers were expected to continue Monday night in the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon, with additional accumulations generally between 4 and 7 inches.
"Although the heaviest snow is now over, many roads will remain slick and snow-covered over the higher elevations tonight with tire-chain requirements," the weather service advisory said.
Selb also called attention to a National Weather Service urban and small-stream advisory, asking residents to keep a watch for flooding on waterways near their homes.
Associate Editor Doane Yawger can be reached at 385-2485 or dyawger@mercedsun-star.com.
