The South Valley is expecting and preparing for the strongest storms and heaviest rainfall of the season so far through the Christmas holiday, with wind and thunderstorms forecast through at least Dec. 26.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Hollister and the surrounding areas, from 10am Dec. 12 until 10pm Dec. 26. A wind advisory is also in effect until 4am Dec. 24.
The weather services’ forecast calls for a 200% chance of rain starting Wednesday night, and continuing through the evening on Christmas Day. Temperatures are not projected to rise above 60 but could fall to the low 40s by the night of Dec. 26.
On Dec. 24, the NWS forecast adds, wind gusts could reach 40 mph. Rainfall totals could reach up to one inch on both Dec. 24-25.
“Tuesday night into Wednesday morning will see the first of several waves of strong winds and heavy rainfall move onshore,” says the NWS forecast at weather.gov. “The urban and nuisance flooding potential in poor drainage areas will be widespread across our whole area late Tuesday through early Friday.”
Residents and property owners who live in flood prone areas and are worried about potential flooding this week can obtain sandbags at a number of locations supplied by San Benito County. Supplies are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of 12 sandbags per household, at Hollister Airport, 60 Airport Drive; Hollister Fire Station 2, 1000 Union Road; the Hollister Public Works Yard, 1321 South Street; the County Yard, 3220 Southside Road; the San Juan Bautista City Yard at Jefferson and First streets; and the Aromas Tri-County Fire Protection District, 492 Carpenteria Road, in Aromas.
