Stormy Weather Causing Road Hazards In The Mother Lode

SPD photo

Sonora, CA – The wet and windy weather continues to blow through the Mother Lode this morning, causing traffic hazards.

In Tuolumne County, a tree has fallen on East Oakside Drive and North Park Lane in downtown Sonora. That section of roadway has been closed to traffic at Hope Lane until the tree can be removed. Highway 108 has also been impacted by a tree down near the Strawberry Store in Strawberry, partially blocking the roadway. There is also a large boulder that has come crashing down on Lyons Bald Mountain Road near Apple Valley Drive in Sonora, blocking both lanes of the road.

Around 5:30 a.m. in the Jamestown area, a motorist was lucky to escape unharmed after flood waters rose on Red Hills Road and Serpentine Loop Road North, rushing over the roadway. CHP spokesperson Officer Joshua McKernan advises motorists of the three keys to driving in inclement weather: slow down, plan ahead by having an emergency kit in your vehicle, and beware of the chain controls. He added,” If you get stuck or experience an emergency, call 9-1-1 from your cell phone. Also, you need to be aware that the CHP has delayed response times due to the high volume of calls during inclement weather. If you do experience a minor car crash, we ask that you move your car out of the roadway as soon as possible to prevent secondary crashes.”

In Calaveras County, on Baldwin Street near McCauley Road in the Rancho Calaveras area, powerlines have come down across the roadway. A PG&E crew has been called to the scene.

There is no estimated time as to when these roadways may be cleared. McKernan cautions motorists that if you do not have to go out on the area roadways today, don’t.