The first of several storms lined up across the ocean dropped
nearly an inch of water on Morgan Hill Monday, as residents, shop
owners and the Santa Clara Valley Water District braced for
potential flooding.
The first of several storms lined up across the ocean dropped nearly an inch of water on Morgan Hill Monday, as residents, shop owners and the Santa Clara Valley Water District braced for potential flooding.
As much as 6 inches of rain could fall by week’s end, potentially inundating downtown and other problem areas prone to flooding.
“It’s definitely not something to be taken lightly,” said Bob Benjamin, a forecaster for the National Weather Service.
Wet weather is expected to last through Friday this week, with a few breaks here and there, according to the NWS. Lows are expected to be in the 40s and highs should be in the 50s during that period. It is hard to predict wind speeds far in advance, but they could reach up to 30 mph, Benjamin said.
Rainfall for the week is expected to range from 4 to 8 inches in low-lying areas and 10 to 15 inches in the mountains. Some areas could receive as much as 20 inches, Benjamin said. That amount of rainfall could be the largest the state has seen at one time since 1998, he said.
Monday’s weather brought severe thunderstorm warnings to the county and some moments of heavy rain and high winds.
With the season’s first storm, which caused significant flood damage, still fresh in their minds, residents and shop owners early Monday prepared for the possible flooding that could accompany the series of storms.
As of noon Monday, an employee at the Morgan Hill Police dispatch center said the station had received a handful of calls from motorists reporting minor flooding at some busy intersections. Those locations were at Monterey Road and Burnett Avenue, and Cochrane at Mission View roads, but none of the reports were severe enough to warrant road closures. No damages or injuries had been reported in Morgan Hill. Around town, however, were signs that some, including the local water district, were taking this series of storms very seriously.
At the corner of Peak and Main avenues, Gearld Quichocho, the resident at 17590 Peak Ave., had placed a barricade of sandbags three high around his and his neighbor’s house in preparation for the flooding that could occur. He wishes to avoid the flooding he has had in the past from severe storms.
“The last two times it flooded the water came up a foot on the inside and outside walls,” Quichocho said. “Whenever a car drove by, it would cause the water to splash up even further. We had to replace all of the carpeting because of the flooding.”
He estimated he used about 200 bags and 5,000 pounds of sand to fortify the homes. He said he acquired the sand bags from two separate locations – the city’s public works yard at Edes Court and El Toro Fire Station on Old Monterey Road.
Across town, shop owners who experienced flooding in the past are also hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
“If the drains can keep up (with the water) we’ll be OK, but if it rains hard I doubt they will keep up,” said Nichole Rice, a waitress at Glory Days Sports Pub. “We are at the end of downtown and all the water comes down Monterey Road and gathers here.”
This week’s weather forecast has her a bit concerned, but she believes they can handle it.
“The last time we had to use sandbags, the water came close to the top of them. We had to close up after lunch because we were surrounded by water,” Rice said.
If weather forecasters are correct, the series of storms expected to continue this week will drench the hills and the valley, but will not threaten the volume of flooding that Morgan Hill saw in its first storm of the season, Oct. 13, 2009.
The next storm is expected to start early today and last “through commute time,” according to Steve Anderson, NWS forecaster.
In fact, each day through Friday is expected to bring a new storm, each one dumping up to an inch of rain on the Santa Clara Valley, Anderson said. Each storm could bring up to three inches of rain in the mountains.
This weekend should see drier weather, with a chance of rain returning next week, Anderson said.
During the Oct. 13 storm, flood waters along Monterey Road, from Hale Avenue to Watsonville Road, reached three feet or more in depth.
Minor damage was reported at private businesses. An apartment complex on Bisceglia Avenue had to be evacuated, displacing about 30 residents. About $140,000 worth of damage was dealt to public property, city officials reported.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is gearing up in response to this week’s forecasts, spokeswoman Susan Siravo said.
“We’re ready for the storm,” she said, adding that crews will be ready if necessary to respond to hot spots, such as Llagas Creek.
The district has removed vegetation from creeks, among other measures, to prevent the waterways from becoming clogged, she said. As of Monday afternoon, she said the district had not heard reports of flooding that were severe enough to respond to.
On a brighter note, the upcoming storms will improve the water supply for the district, which provides water for both municipalities and farms in Santa Clara County. The district’s reservoirs are now at 41.8 percent of capacity at 70,668 acre-feet, as of Monday morning. An acre-foot is about one foot of water over a plane the size of a football field.
“We’re really expecting a boost to water supply,” Siravo said.
Most water in California originates from snow runoff from the Sierra Nevada range, and quite a bit is expected this weekend, Benjamin said. That not only has consequences for the water supply but also for people traveling.
Meanwhile, folks staying closer to home also should be on guard in case of potential flooding, he said.
“Anybody who has interests or property should take precautionary measures,” he said.
