It was only mid-morning Monday but Quicki-Kleen gas station at the intersection of East Yosemite Avenue and Washington Street was already packing up its car wash operation. It was just too windy and dusty for the workers to continue washing and hand-toweling cars by hand. But the gas pumps and the convenience store remained open.

Wind gusts as high as 44 miles per hour likewise left the fields empty of workers operating tractors and plowing the fields that would have further awakened the dust clouds. Wind-whipped fine powder thick as tule fog affecting visibility — seven miles just before noon, according to the National Weather Report for San Joaquin County — also made it hard for motorists to navigate open country roads like West Ripon Road which was devoid of the usual busy traffic in both directions.

The exception was an open field on South Union Road where Nile Avenue dead-ends to the east. Spread out all over the field of strawberries that were planted as commercial rootstock were workers wearing protective white suits with hoods that practically covered their faces, and gloves to complete their outfit. It was busy as usual at this particular spot in rural south Manteca.

There’s an 80 percent chance of precipitation today, with rain expected to drench the county mainly after 4 p.m., specifically before 10 p.m. turning into showers after that, the Stockton Weather Service announced.

The forecast calls for likely showers with thunderstorms after 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Wind gusts are expected to drop to 21 miles per hours.

Thanksgiving Day calls for more showers during the day and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. There’s only a slight chance of showers greeting those who are celebrating in the evening, plus a possibility of thunderstorm after 4 p.m. It’s partly cloudy throughout the evening.

After a sunny reprieve all of Friday, a slight chance of showers are forecasted for Saturday and Sunday with the sun making an appearance sometime during the day on Saturday.