The Fresno River trickled through the center of Madera on Sunday afternoon in the wake of a storm Saturday that dumped as much as one-half inch of rain in some areas.
The afternoon storm included lightning and thunder and, in some rural areas just west of Madera, hail.
According to the National Weather Service, Madera received 0.48 inches of rain. That raised Madera’s rainfall total, from July 1 to now, to 0.76 inches, which is about an inch below our normal amount by this time of year. Our year-to-date total is less than three inches below normal.
Precipitation fell so heavily at times that rain gutters on buildings couldn’t handle the volume of water and overflowed. Storm drains backed up, and some street gutters turned into small lakes and streams until the storm eased and drains carried away the water...