The city of Redding woke up to over a foot of snow Thursday—and no power.
Most Shasta County schools, colleges, and court rooms were closed due to the heavy, wet snow, which was recorded at over 18 inches in the foothills and more than a foot in downtown Redding.
Like most coastal cities, Redding, which straddles Interstate 5 in the Sacramento Valley, rarely records significant snowfall. The Northern California city reports only a dusting every couple of years, if that.
City officials were caught off guard by the magnitude of the storm.
Several utility companies in the region are sending staff and equipment as the city struggles to restore power, including re-stringing all the power lines brought down by the snowfall.
Winter said the fallen lines, some of which were critical, tripped power at local sub-stations, causing the massive outage.
Redding officials advised residents to stay home for the day, and has opened an emergency warning center at the public library. Winter said the city’s steep hills made driving conditions especially dangerous.
More than a thousand homes in and around Redding were destroyed in last summer’s Carr Fire, which killed 8 people. Fortunately, officials said there is little risk of mudslide once the snow melts, due to the type of soil in the area which is not prone to such erosion.