Tips to stay safe while driving in the Central Valley rain

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- As the rain moves in on Thursday evening, the California Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to prepare their cars for the season.

"Let's do a quick 360 walk around," said Ofc. Mike Salas with the California Highway Patrol. "Check those tires, check those lights, definitely check those windshield wipers because the last thing you want to do is be caught in this downpour without good working windshield wipers."

While on the roadways, Officer Salas said to stay alert and take your time.

"With all of the summer grime and grit and oil that's been spilled onto the roadway, those roads are going to be much more slippery for those drivers commuting up and down those roads. Again, speed is our number one factor. Please slow down," said Salas.

On city streets, Councilmember Mike Karbassi said care has been taken to prepare problem intersections for the incoming rainy season.

"The city has actually committed a lot more money to more regular, proactive tree-trimming," said Karbassi. "We used to be on a 15-year cycle; we've really shrunk that down to about half that time or less in certain areas."

Bullard and West in northwest Fresno have experienced significant flooding in the past, but crews could be seen out on the road Thursday doing final preparations before storms rolled through.

"We regularly do clean up the pine needles in the median because what happens is they accumulate, get washed down through the storm drain, and like a hairball, they'll clog the storm drain, which leads to flooding and then a crew has to come out in the middle of the night to clear that out," said Karbassi. "We don't want that happening again."

Karbassi said if you see any concerns on Fresno city roadways, call 311 or use the FresGo App to report problems.