FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — It was a steady and scenic view of snowfall during the first big storm of the season at Shaver Lake on Tuesday.
Terri Mejorado with the Fresno County Office of Emergency Services says rain and snow are always a welcome sight in the Central Valley.
“We love the rain. Rain fills up our reservoirs. It fills up our lakes. It brings snow to our higher elevations,” Merjorado said.
Higher up the Fresno County mountains, several inches of glistening white snow are covering China Peak.
Video captured by our Action News Skycam at China Peak Ski Resort showing how much snow had already fallen by 9 a.m.
A sight owner Tim Cohee is more than excited about with ski season around the corner.
“There’s nothing other than good news about this storm. The best thing is it freezes the ground and gets the ground very wet, so it will freeze, which makes snow making adhere and stay this time,” Cohee said.
Cohee says they normally see the first snowfall later in October but is now hopeful the resort will be ready earlier.
Mejorado says traffic up the mountains is good news for local businesses and adds that being prepared and staying on high alert is key to keep everyone safe.
She’s in constant communication with the National Weather Service and local departments like Public Works and says this storm doesn’t seem to pose any concern.
“This has been the first one that kind of has hung around a little bit so we feel pretty confident that the dirt is dry enough that it can absorb all this water,” Mejorado said.
“It’s a colored scale going from yellow up to purple of the probability that we would have an issue on that burn scar based on the amount of rainfall that we are going to be getting and the data that they have already captured from other agencies,” Mejorado said.
China Peak Ski Resort usually opens during Thanksgiving week. Cohee is hoping to open a week before with a start to the season like this.
