More snow, ice arrive Monday; extremely cold weather to continue

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Traffic was slowed down along areas of Highway 29 between Kit's Corner and Kelseyville on Monday. Photo by Karin Green.

 

 


LAKE COUNTY – Snowy weather continued around Lake County on Monday, with the white fluffy stuff – reportedly falling from Lakeport to Cobb to Clearlake – proving a danger for drivers traversing icy road.

 

The National Weather Service is reporting that snow could continue through Tuesday, and several days and nights of below-freezing temperatures are predicted.

 

California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia reported that CHP received numerous calls of stranded vehicles and snow-related collisions on Sunday and Monday.


Garcia said CHP officers responded to three stranded motorists and six collisions resulting in property damage. By noon on Monday there were more reports, this time relating to six stranded motorists, four property damage collisions and one collision with injuries. He added that those were just the collisions reported to CHP.


The tricky driving conditions would lead to continued reports throughout the rest of the day, with more vehicles reported in ditches and a vehicle rollover occurring on Soda Bay Road.


Icy conditions caused problems on 11th Street in Lakeport later in the evening. Lakeport city workers were called to the scene to try to address the problems.


County Road Superintendent Steve Stangland said members of his road crew were out all night on Sunday and early Monday morning plowing and sanding county roads.


While the road department does much of its work in the day, Stangland said they were splitting up shifts in order to be out again all night on Monday so they could to keep the roads clear.


“We had snow all the way down to the lake by the Riviera,” he said.

 

 

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The Clear Lake Riviera got a layer of snow. Photo by Karin Green.
 

 


He warned that, no matter how many people they have working the department's 10 snow plows, they can't be everywhere. Stangland's department is responsible for 612 miles of county roads.


Stangland said some drivers seemed to forget how to drive safely in the first snow of the winter season. “Some of our plow trucks were getting passed,” he said, with his staff reporting “crazy” driving by some members of the public.


He said if you have to be on the roads, it's important to drive slowly.


Stangland warned that shadowed areas on roads and highways can be expected to have more ice, and it's important to slow down, especially on corners.


“A good rule of thumb, anywhere you see a guard rail, it's a good place to slow down. That guard rail is there for a reason,” he said.


The road department issued a road advisory Monday that calls for chains in all areas of Cobb, and on Socrates Mine, Seigler Canyon, Elk Mountain and Bartlett Springs roads. Stangland said they leave the chain restrictions in place until the storms have passed.


Like Stangland, Garcia said it's important to slow down, because many crashes are caused by driving too fast for current conditions.


For that reason, it's important to prepare in advance for traveling by leaving early and allowing yourself plenty of time to get where you're going, Garcia said.


He said not to forget that the law requires you have your headlights on any time you have your windshield wipers on continuously.


CHP offers winter driving tips at its Web site, www.chp.ca.gov.


For current road conditions, call the Caltrans Road Conditions Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623) or visit the agency's Web site at www.dot.ca.gov.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

 

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The snow was troublesome for drivers but created beautiful scenes around the county, such as this one near Kelseyville. Photo by Karin Green.
 

 

 

 

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Snow kept falling and left a few more inches on the ground in Cobb on Monday. Photo by Roger Kinney.
 

 


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