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Freezing Temperatures Trigger Problems For Morning Motorists

EL DORADO HILLS (CBS13) - Freezing morning temperatures caused some problems for commuters in the Sacramento region Wednesday.

It wasn't a good start for two vehicles in El Dorado Hills as drivers encountered one slippery street. Black ice was blamed for two spinouts.

Laura Almanza rushed to Bass Lake Road where her husband's truck slid off the road and into a fence.

"I had to leave my work to come here and call someone in to cover my shift so I could be out here," she said. "He's in shock. He hasn't said not much. I'm in shock myself. We're just glad he's OK."

Then an SUV got stuck in the mud after the driver lost control on the icy road.

"They either hit the accelerator instead of the brake and it just shot up across the berm up into the side of the hill," CHP Sgt. Mike Poore said.

The stretch of road is notorious for spinouts. Just up the hill is a natural spring. The water runs down the hillside and turns to ice in freezing temperatures like we had overnight into Wednesday.

"There's just no friction. It's like a zero coefficient of friction, and once the cars hit it, they lose control and there's really no way to recover," Poore said.

No one was injured in either accident.

Clear skies dropped the temperatures below freezing Wednesday, but the big weather changes are expected to hit later this week. Clouds move in over the region Thursday and the rain is expected to start Thursday night and last throughout the weekend.

It's expected to clear in time for Christmas morning, however, with sunny skies and a high around 53 in Sacramento.

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