LAKE COUNTY — Snow blanketed much of Lake County since it began falling at elevations below 1,500 feet Monday. The snow remained Wednesday, with some additional snow fall at elevations above 2,000 feet, leaving areas of Cobb with six inches. While the snow provides a postcard-perfect landscape, it has also caused California Highway Patrol extra work as a higher number of traffic accidents and spin-outs occur.
An Alaskan cold front is the cause of the unusual amount of snow in the county. Several long-time residents say they have not seen this amount of snow in a long time.
“It”s the most I”ve ever seen,” said Lakeport resident Brandon Davis, a technician for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Davis said Cobb has had some outages due to the snow storm. “PG&E is hard at work fixing the problems,” he said.
Cobb and Kelseyville schools were closed Tuesday due to the snow, but all county schools were open Wednesday. “Transportation has been stopped to the Cobb area,” Chuck Mansell said, of the Lake County Office of Education.
He said there”s no telling whether schools will remain open the rest of the week. More snow is expected through Friday. “It”s day to day. All the districts call me in the morning to update me, and I release that info to the radio stations. Parents can listen to the local AM KWINE station for updates,” Mansell said. Area post offices are utilizing snow chains and four-wheel drives to continue service. Bob Cole, officer in charge of the Cobb post office said there have been no problems for residents making it through to pick up mail at the P.O. Box system in Cobb.
“It”s about 40 degrees right now, so there is some melting on the roads,” Cole said Wednesday afternoon. “We”re still getting our papers OK here, but it might be a different story tomorrow with the weather forecast. I”ve been here for 17 years, and remember once or twice Cobb having this much snow. I”ve been listening to locals, and one said yesterday he has not seen this much snow on Cobb in 10 years.”
Although the schools were open Wednesday, without bus service in Cobb fewer students attended, Cole said. “It”s just kids who can walk or get a ride who went today.”
Kelseyville postmaster Rick Smith said there have not been problems delivering the mail so far. “They”ve got their chains and can go up the hills. Kelseyville has the largest delivery area in the county, the hardest parts are Harrington Flat and Bottle Rock Road,” Smith said.
Middletown post office clerk Tonie Ledoux said she has seen snow of this magnitude in Lake County before in 1993, when she couldn”t make it to her job as a postal carrier from Clearlake Oaks. “So far the carrier that goes up to Cobb has four-wheel drive, so there have been no problems. There”s not a lot we can do, we just try to deliver the mail. If the roads are blocked, they have to bring the mail back and try again the next day,” Ledoux said.
Less intense rain and snow showers than Wednesday are expected in Lake County through Friday as the upper-air temperature low currently affecting the state weakens and moves inland. But another storm system may move into the area Sunday bringing chances of snow, according to an Associated Press weather update Wednesday afternoon.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
