Snow In The Sierra: Winter Weather Advisory Continues Through Sunday
NYACK (CBS13) - The first weekend of winter weather rolled into the Sierra and is expected to stick around until Sunday afternoon.
Light snow flurries could be seen in Nyack as cooler weather moved into the mountains. Though, conditions could change overnight. Caltrans expects around a foot of snow to blanket the area.
This first taste of cold has locals and tourists both excited.
"Whenever we start hearing that sound it's always exciting," said India Vannini, talking about the sound of the snow machines at Boreal coating the brown hills with white snow. Ski season may only be days away, and Vannini is excited.
"That's why we live in Truckee full time," Vannini said. "We love to ski, we're so excited. That's why we love it here."
But even those that love it know snow can pose problems - especially on the highway. Jamie Hanaway has seen accidents happen every season.
"I've had terrible things happen to friends – people I know," Hanaway said.
Hanaway tries to play it safe on the road. Over the next day, Caltrans and the National Weather Service hope others do, as well. Hanaway said the key is keeping back.
"A lot of distance, more than you think," Hanaway said. "It's very dangerous and people need to be aware of it, people need to have their chains fitted properly."
On the roads Sunday night was travelers like Charles Smead, looking to get away for the week.
"You know it's been a really stressful week for a lot of people and there's nothing like reconnecting with nature," Smead said. "We live in downtown San Francisco, so this is a nice change of pace."
Smead wants to get a breath of fresh Tahoe air, and instead of sunshine -- soak up the snow.
"We think it's beautiful when it snows in Tahoe," Smead said. "It's obviously not summer anymore so we're ready for a transition."
With snow continuing overnight, Caltrans posted on social media it's likely chains will be required at some point as the snow builds - expecting 6 to 12 inches to accumulate.
