Related Links
North Bay cool temperatures to continue; more snow possible
Left to right, Gideon and Emily Korrell walk with their friends Aaron and Rosemary Jean along snowy Cavedale Road Monday morning.
JOHN BURGESS/THE PRESS DEMOCRATPublished: Monday, December 7, 2009 at 7:48 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, December 7, 2009 at 7:48 a.m.
The moisture from a storm that moved in Sunday generally missed the North Bay, but did leave some snow in a few of the higher mountains.
There was still snow Monday morning on the Ridgewood Grade on Highway 101 between Ukiah and Willits, said Capt. Owen Starkweather.
“We had a light sprinkle of snow, maybe a quarter of an inch, it started 8 p.m. Sunday and it stopped,” Starkweather said. “It's still there. All the trees are covered with a light dusting.”
Snow was also reported on Trinity and Cavedale roads between Glen Ellen and Yountville, on Pine Flat Road near The Geysers, on Highway 29 on Mt. St. Helena, Brooktrails near Willits and Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.
“If we're lucky, it snows once a year,” said Cavedale Road resident Rosemary Jean. “It's like the best Christmas present ever, even though it is not Christmas.”
Jean said there was only about an inch and a half that fell, but it was cold enough that it remained well into Monday afternoon.
“You are stuck here for awhile .. the roads are really bad,” Jean said. “So you take the dogs out and have a really good time.”
There was less rainfall than initially expected from the Sunday storm.
“It went around you,” said Bob Benjamin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey. “The moisture is wrapping around you and coming up under San Francisco and Monterey. It is south of the Golden Gate.”
The heaviest snowfall was reported in the Santa Cruz, Santa Lucia and Santa Clara mountains and in the Sierra.
“I got 18 inches at my house,” said Jerry Wood, owner of White Buffalo in Truckee. “This is the first good dump, the typical Tahoe dump, 18 inches in 12 hours.”
Wood said that will bring in the skiers and that will keep himself and the other Truckee merchants happy.
“It is white gold, this is our winter season,” Wood said. “It will be a white Christmas in Truckee, that is what we are all about, skiing, downhill and cross country.”
The highways were open, but chains are required, said CHP Officer Jeff Holt in the Truckee office.
“Caltrans is trying to plow and keep up, but it keeps snowing,” Holt said. “We've got two feet on the ground here in Truckee.”
Holt said he expects the chain requirements will remain in place Tuesday. Although the weather is expected to clear, its forecast to be cold and that will result in icy roads.
Luckily, Holt said, traffic has been light.
“Most people are trying to stay home,” Holt said.
The CHP on Monday even issued an alert for North Bay motorists to watch out for the possibility of snow even at lower elevations and for black ice, especially on rural roads.
The low pressure system was moving Monday south towards Sonoma County, but there was little moisture behind the front and it left Sonoma County with clearing skies.
The North Bay did experience some cold temperatures.
It was 32 degrees Monday morning in Santa Rosa, 29 in Cloverdale, 25 in Ukiah and 28 in Clearlake,according to the National Weather Service.
“There is a bit of chill in the air,” Benjamin said.
It will remain cool Tuesday and Wednesday, with lows in the mid 20s, with the highs in the high 40s.
The record low for Tuesday, Dec. 8, was 21 degrees and the high 41 in Santa Rosa in 1972.
There is a chance of rain Wednesday night and rain likely Thursday and Friday.
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article