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Wild Weather Day Brings Low Snow To Foothills

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — It was a wild day of weather for travelers stretching from the valley to the foothills and into the mountains.

"Real snowy," said Ernie Mathews, a Pollock Pines resident.

Pollock Pines was hit with its heaviest snowfall of the year.

"I had to chain up to get out of the parking lot," Said Mathews.

About eight inches of snow covered the area before noon Monday. The heavy snow forced some businesses and schools to close, while first responders worked overtime.

"Calls for service for peoples stuck or disabled or spun off the road, said officer David Rodgers with the California Highway Patrol.

Rodgers says thankfully, no one died in their coverage area during the weather event, but several people were hurt in nearly a dozen crashes.

"When we have freak systems that come in rapidly, people aren't prepared for them," said Rodgers.

While snow was the problem at 3,000 feet and above, hail created problems at lower elevations.

"Kind of crazy, wet," said tow truck operator Matt Hord. He spent the day pulling out-of-town travelers from ditches and back onto the road.

"They think they can handle snowy conditions the same as regular. It just doesn't work," said Hord.

This system is just the first of an unsettled week of weather to come. It's an active late winter stretch that pales in comparison to the record-setting 2017 storms.

"It ain't nothing like last year," said Mathews.

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