Powerful storm brings much needed rain to the Valley
Watch the videos below for team coverage on the powerful storm that brought much needed rain to the Valley.
The slippery roads may have caused a white pickup truck to overturn in the South Valley. It happened around 6:30 in Tulare on Highway 99 near Prosperity.
CHP says the driver fled but the passenger remained on scene.
During the heavy downpour and within the same half hour there were two other minor accidents nearby.
Cal Trans crews tell us the underpasses at Bardsley, Tulare and Prosperity streets were all flooded but they were able to clear the water by seven o'clock.
The city of Mendota also experienced flooding and several road closures. Portions of Highway 33 near McCabe Elementary School were closed to traffic because of the high water levels.
An aging infrastructure and small water pipes contributed to the flooding problems as well as clogged storm drains.
Mendota City Manager Vince DiMaggio said, "It wasn't like it was in the bay area, where they had wind and heavy rain, it was just a persistent rain all night long, so it resulted in quite a bit of flooding."
Before the rain, city crews battled wind problems Thursday causing some downed power lines and large Christmas decorations to fly off poles.
Despite the flooding, Mendota officials say the water is well worth the minor inconvenience.
Flood waters filled Highway 99 in Delano causing major traffic problems. Cars in both directions were stuck for hours. Crews tell us a power outage in the area caused the pumps to stop working and allowed water to fill the roadway.
In Madera County, a big rig truck lost control, went through the cement median and got stuck near Cleveland Avenue. The rig blocked both directions of traffic for a short time. Nobody was hurt.
Authorities in Visalia received several reports of downed trees, including one on Goshen near Conyer. Two units were evacuated because the power lines were trapped between the trees and the homes.
