Blizzard Passes Through County

Sierra City’s Main Street on Saturday morning

SIERRA COUNTY — The largest winter storm of the season rolled through Sierra County last weekend, ultimately dumping over seven feet of snow at the Yuba Pass. The first snow fell early Thursday morning but was confined to elevations above Sierra City for nearly a full day. On Friday, Sierra City experienced heavier snowfall, and significant snow pile-up at higher elevations began. In Downieville, a power outage was experienced from Friday afternoon until around noon on Saturday when the town generator was started.

A Caltrans plow works Highway 49 at Bassetts Station on Saturday morning

Saturday saw some of the weekend’s worst conditions. Highway 49 was closed from Downieville to Sattley, with Caltrans crews working around the clock to clear the roadway, which had narrowed to a single lane in some places near the Pass. The closure was later extended to Marysville Road, with access only to identification-carrying locals, until its reopening on Tuesday morning. Saturday also claimed the lowest snowline, reaching elevations below Downieville. Despite many full days of precipitation, Downieville only had 6” of snowpack by the end of the weekend due to relatively warm temperatures.

Temperatures increased on Tuesday to a high of 40 degrees in Downieville. Further warming is expected through Friday.