Preparing for winter weather travel
For drivers traveling through the Grapevine, a dusting of snow is expected as low as 2,000 feet, nearing road level.
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The cold temperatures are easing up slightly, but more rain and snow are on the way.
"It looks like the best chance of snow is going to be early Thursday morning," said Allison Colburn, a spokesperson with Caltrans District 7.
To prepare for that snow, a Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect Wednesday morning for Fresno County and the Frazier Mountain communities.
Caltrans wants to remind drivers of the potential road hazards when traveling through treacherous weather conditions.
"With I-5, we don't permit chains on that roadway. There's a small portion of the roadway that is where the summit is, and that's where we get the bulk of the snow, and that's the portion of the roadway that we close," explained Colburn.
The new storm on the way could bring 8-12 inches of fresh snow in higher elevations, and 4-8 inches could fall above 3,000 feet.
But for drivers traveling through the Grapevine, a dusting of snow is expected as low as 2,000 feet, nearing road level.
"Anytime we are projected to get snow below 4500 feet in the grapevine area, we send out our crews, our snow removal crews, and they work 12-hour shifts," added Colburn.
Snow removal crews treat the roadway with brine, and if needed, snowplows are standing by 24/7 to help keep a clear route.
"The Grapevine has a lot of lanes, so it may look on the map like it's just one small portion of the roadway. You have to keep in mind that there are several lanes in each direction, so it takes a lot of time to get that snow off of the roadway," said Colburn.
Caltrans says the best way to prepare is to access the Caltrans quick map before you get on the road to view the most up-to-date conditions on your route.
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