Good morning! It’s Wednesday, Dec. 24. This is Rob, wishing you happy holidays in our final Toplines newsletter of the year! Thanks for sticking with us in 2025. We’ll be back on Jan. 5!
💧Flooding: Multiple flood warnings in effect around Fresno County today as we settle in for heavy storms through Friday. You’ll find more details on local flood preparations below. NOAA
💰Irrigation cash: Money is available to growers within the Fresno Irrigation District to help cover the cost of improving irrigation systems and to increase on-farm groundwater recharge. The deadline to apply for the funding is Jan. 15. SJV Water
🎅Cheers! Santa Claus touched down at Poverello House on Wednesday, spreading Christmas cheer and handing out thousands of toys to local families confronting homelessness and poverty. KMPH
1. Crews scramble to stay ahead of hard rain
A flash flood warning this morning for parts of Fresno County, including Clovis and Auberry and a separate flood watch warning over other areas of the county remains in place until at least 4 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.
Fresno city and county crews are scrambling to stay ahead of flooded roads and plan to work through the Christmas holiday to help keep streets clear and the lights on, CBS47 reports.
Rainfall landed late Tuesday, picked up steam Wednesday morning, with another round of wet weather expected on Christmas Day.
Drivers are urged to use caution and warned not to attempt crossing flooded roads, especially traveling over Tehachapi Pass and the Grapevine, where winds are expected to reach 30 mph or greater.
The rain is expected to begin drying out by Saturday.
2. Fresno-area emergency rooms packed with respiratory patients
Pexels
Fresno County emergency rooms report a recent spike in flu and other respiratory illnesses, including RSV and COVID-19.
In a statement Tuesday, county officials said the increase in emergency room visits has strained resources for both children and adult patients.
Health officials urged residents to stay up to date on flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, and to get tested when experiencing fever, chills, runny nose, sore throat, cough, loss of taste or smell and stomach issues, the Business Journal reports.
Anyone feeling ill or who has tested positive or shown symptoms is urged to self isolate to avoid spreading infections.
Fresno County: “The FCDPH encourages residents to know when to utilize the emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and their primary health care provider. Using the right level of care for your condition helps ensure emergency rooms remain available for life-threatening illnesses and injuries.”
3. Fresnoland’s Five Favorite Profiles of 2025
Roque Rodriguez, co-founder of Fresno’s Swede Fest, poses with a homemade prop from a sweded trailer for the Netflix series “Barbarians.” Rodriguez and friends did the project with Netflix, leading a team of other video producers from around the world on the art of sweding. Credit: Julianna Morano | Fresnoland
Fresnoland went deeper in 2025, past the powerful insiders and politicians, with a new series of profiles focusing on people not typically in the spotlight.
We tried to focus on the filmmakers, the painters, the food truck owners and the conservationists putting their stamps on our rivers and murals and lunches.
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