South Valley sees most significant rainfall for the first time since January

LEMOORE, Calif. (KFSN) -- It was supposed to be a fun afternoon at Lemoore's Clements Field for Chance Carnley and his children.

"Out here for my daughter's softball practice, let the kids play on the playground a little bit," Carnley said.

Everything went as planned until the storm that was miles away when they got there was suddenly over them.

As the rain started to pour, Carnley, along with nearly everyone else, vacated the park.

Experts at the San Joaquin Valley National Weather Service in Hanford say the rain is a welcome sight after a dry February.

"This is the most impressive system that we have kind of tracked since January," says Colin McKeller with the National Weather Service.

Experts say the storm hit Kern County the hardest and still has the potential to be stronger in the South Valley on Wednesday.

"We could be looking at some isolated thunderstorms producing some small hail, some rain and after that, the system clears out of the area," McKeller said.

PG&E says they're on standby should any power outages occur.

"We are prepared," says PG&E Spokesperson Brandi Merlo. "We want our customers to know we have crews available and resources available to restore any outages should they occur."

They're also reminding people to be prepared by having battery-powered flashlights, fresh drinking water and a charged mobile phone.

Meanwhile, Carnley says the rain is long overdue, and he's ready for all the benefits that come with it.

"You know, rain brings good air, so we would definitely be able to breathe better, and a lot of people have asthma here, and it would definitely help them a lot."