Rain, wind bring sporadic flooding across Fresno, Copper Avenue shut down

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno is seeing sporadic flooding thanks to some clogged storm drains across the city.

Copper Avenue is shut down between Willow and Chestnut as crews work to repair a storm drain. The City of Fresno issued an emergency road closure which is expected to remain in effect through Friday at 5 p.m.

The wind picked up on Thursday and more rain is expected at night.

And when you add leaves -- that means drains have the potential to clog.

The city is doing everything it can to stay ahead of the weather. Crews have fanned out across the city to deal with clogged drains and downed trees.

Action News found city workers clearing the roadway in northeast Fresno after a tree was uprooted by the latest storm.

The rain is needed but fallen leaves are making a mess for some residents.

"It is quite the mess but it's a worthwhile mess because we need the rain," said Ashley Cole, a resident.

And with the rain comes concerns about leaves piling up.

City officials are asking residents to help prevent flooding by sweeping up leaves from yards and sidewalks

"With the first rain of the year leaves are always a concern because they can plug up the storm drains," said Brent Sunamoto of the Fresno Flood Control District.

Sunamoto is an engineer with the district.

He says the region's 150 basins are nowhere near capacity, yet some pumps have been turned on to stay ahead of any potential rainfall

"We're checking a lot of our basins this time of year -- daily and sometimes multiple times a days," Sunamoto said.

Maintenance workers turned on the pump at this Clovis basin near Shaw and Fowler after getting about an inch of rain Wednesday.

"The basins are all in pretty good shape and a lot of basins are equipped with pumps so yeah we're prepared," he added.

If you have flooding issues in your neighbor you can call the city or log onto the FresGO app with any of your weather-related concerns.