SODA SPRINGS, Calif. — People in the higher elevations of Placer, Nevada and El Dorado counties are sick of a late-spring snowstorm that is refusing to go away.
“It’s been wintry for about a week now. We had about a foot of snow last week in the parking lot,” said Kenny Osburn, paramedic captain with Truckee Fire.
He has lived in the area his whole life and said a late spring snow is not that unusual – even after the warm temperatures the area enjoyed earlier this month.
“We had little pinch of spring, maybe even a little dash of summer, but like Mother Nature does here in the Sierras, come March or April you’re bound to get something, and this year it was in May,” Osburn told ABC10 Tuesday evening outside the Truckee Fire Protection District’s Soda Springs station, which was blanketed in fat, fluffy snowflakes.
He said the snow has led to a spike in accidents on US 80, which the Soda Springs station faces, and intermittent chain controls in effect throughout the last week.
Just down the road, Justin Williams was working at Donner Summit Gas. He and his wife just moved to Northern California from Louisiana in June.
“It’s beautiful, I’m just tired of dealing with the snow,” Williams told ABC10. “I was not prepared for the heavy snow. My friend told me, ‘It’s going to be a light winter. It’s been light the last couple years, you’ll be fine.’ I made it, you know. I survived, but I’m not over it.”
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Just when he thought his first Northern California winter was done, the weather took a cold turn last week.
“I went to bed Wednesday night to summer, woke up Thursday morning to winter. It just hasn’t stopped yet,” he explained. “I was joking with another customer that I’m going to put up Christmas decorations just to mess with everyone.”
Even Caltrans was caught somewhat off guard by the late-season storm. Once flakes started flying last week, some equipment at the Kingvale Maintenance Station had to be converted back into winter weather mode, such as putting the plows put back on trucks.
Caltrans crews from the Central Valley are currently in Kingvale, helping to clear the roads in around-the-clock shifts. While workers are used to missing holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day due to snowy work, Memorial Day is later than they’re used to, though not unheard of.
“Memorial Day weekend truly is a questionable weather weekend,” Osburn said. “It seems to be more cold than not, and if you drive up here and it’s snowing, slow down. Drive for the conditions, for sure.”
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