Valley welcomes heavy storms

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Flooding, accidents and power outages -- you name it, residents got it Friday. But even with all the inconveniences, families say they welcomed the rain with open arms.

When heavy rain began falling in Clovis, Sally Bell says she and her son ran outside with their cameras.

"I was just amazed at how fast the water was coming down," Bell said. "The water was just going all over the place and they were like swimming through."

Police say water rose so fast they had to block off portions of Bullard Avenue. Heavy downpours also caused flash flooding all across Fresno.

"That's why we were over here clicking away because it was so amazing," Bell said.

Lightning accompanied strong winds at times, striking a palm tree at Minnewawa and Heaton. A few miles away, neighbors snapped a picture of a fallen tree that narrowly missed a motorcycle.

"I don't remember it hitting this hard," Thomas Aguilar of Biola said. "It hit pretty hard just now."

The storm caused power outages for hundreds in Biola. But while the skies may have been dark, spirits weren't. "I'd rather have rain than dry weather, absolutely," Aguilar said.

"It came so fast and it left us so quickly," Bell said. "Well, we are going get another one I understand."

David Hale of Clovis used the rain as an opportunity to teach his young son, and he's hopeful his son will see more much-need storms come to pass. "We talk to him about how we don't get to waste a lot of water," he explained. "Try to teach him to conserve water, smaller baths, and less sprinkling."