FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Rounds of heavy rain and strong winds sweeping across the West Coast this week have drivers in California’s Central Valley on high alert.
“Mother nature? We can’t fight mother nature,” said truck driver Brandon Simmons.
Video from Tuesday night showed gusts shaking a traffic camera near Highway 99 and Union Avenue, offering an early glimpse of the storm’s intensity.
Those gusts can be especially deadly for drivers behind the wheel of high profile vehicles, like truck driver Brandon Simmons.
“It’s very uncomfortable especially when you go around turns,” he said. “In your mirrors you can see your box moving one way or the other.”
Simmons planned to stop in Kettleman City before continuing to San Francisco, bracing for the brunt of the storm.
California Highway Patrol Officer Anthony Daulton warned that wind hazards often go unnoticed.
“Even if you compensate slightly for the wind that you’re driving through, it’s those gusts that can catch you off guard and send your vehicle on a trajectory you weren’t ready for,” Daulton said.
Much of the state also faces flash flood risks. Heavy downpours are expected to worsen visibility on roads already crowded with holiday traffic. Daulton advised drivers to maintain a “high visual horizon.”
“Which basically means look out as far down the roadway as far as you possibly can, to avoid any potential hazards that might present themselves to you,” he said. “Drive beyond your headlights, not inside your headlights.”
Officials also urge drivers to avoid flooded areas that may conceal hazards. Above all, patience remains key, Simmons said.
“Space is the key to everything,” he said. “If we would just give everybody space, all of the accidents will go away.”
The CHP is encouraging drivers to share not only their destinations but their routes with friends or family, that way if something goes wrong officers know exactly where to look.
Copyright © 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.