Sonora, CA — Mother Nature treated the Mother Lode to a real taste of winter weather Wednesday afternoon and early evening and Thursday morning.
The snowfall even reached the Jamestown area. As the elevation increased so did the amount of snowfall. Some Twain Harte residents received as much as a foot of snow. In the Groveland area six inches of the white stuff was not uncommon
The downside of the storm resulted in a number of downed power lines and vehicle accidents. At the noon hour there were still close to 15,000 P.G.& E. customers without power. Company Spokesperson Nicole Tam stated that all available crews were on site evaluating and correcting the damage to the best of their ability. Power for many customers was originally lost at approximately 2am.
Calaveras County did not suffer to the same degree as Tuolumne County. At the noon hour only 20 customers were still without power.
For a short time the Highway Patrol was forced to close Lyons-Bald Mountain Rd. due to a number of accidents. There has been no report of any serious injuries.
Snow showers are expected to continue this evening reaching as low at 1,500 feet. By late this evening the National Weather Service in Sacramento is predicting two to six inches of new snow above 2,000.
Written by Bill Johnson
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 1:37 pm