Heavy winds and a torrential downpour over the weekend flooded roads, toppled trees, wiped out electricity and caused plenty of anxiety and frustration throughout South County.
From Dec. 9-11, Morgan Hill received a combined total of 4.5 inches of rain, according to local weather enthusiast Chris Henry, who has been logging precipitation measurements in west Morgan Hill for decades.
The brunt of the recent storms came through on Dec. 10, when nearly 3.3 inches of rain fell in areas of Morgan Hill, according to Henry. At one point on Saturday, the storm “almost stalled over Morgan Hill,” resulting in more rainfall than in other parts of the Bay Area.
The weekend storm brings Morgan Hill’s monthly rain total for December to 7.95 inches—a tie with 1995 for the ninth wettest December here since 1983.
Throughout the weekend, the rain and wind resulted in local flooding and minor to moderate damages to property, according to various reports. Wind gusts up to 40 mph were recorded, and even a brief hail storm touched down in Morgan Hill on Sunday.
A swim competition at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center was canceled due to the weather, which included gusts that dislodged giant tarps that surround the swimming facility, Henry said.
According to Valley Water data, as of Dec. 12, Uvas Reservoir in Morgan Hill was at 43% of capacity. Before the weekend storm, the reservoir stood at 18% full.
Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Monterey, said Uvas Canyon west of Morgan Hill saw eight inches of rain over the weekend.
“It will dry out over the next several days, with the skies mostly clearing up,” Mehle said. “But the big story now will be colder temperatures: We’re looking at highs in the mid-50s during the day and overnight lows in the mid-30s. Of course, as you go higher elevation, it will be colder. Over in Hollister it will be near freezing overnight. We’ll be stuck with dry conditions at least until Friday.”
