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Summer Ends With Sierra Snow Before Hot Start For Fall

SODA SPRINGS (CBS13) — People in the Sierra have only had a couple of months to thaw out from a heavy snow-filled winter.

The first snow of the season made a forceful appearance on the last day of summer.

"I walked out the door this morning and was thinking total wardrobe change," said one man in Soda Springs.

Inches of snow turned the last day of summer into a treacherous winter scene on Sierra roads.

One person died in a 16-car pile-up made worse by hail on Interstate 80. Traffic was snarled for hours.

"...First snow to fall; it's kind of crazy out there," said Anthony Morrow with D&S Tow.

Wrecker services are working overtime. One car rolled over the edge of a cliffside road leading to Donner Lake. The driver had stepped out to take in the view.

"It's kind of weird for the last day of summer," said Morrow.

The fresh powder that coats the Sierra is a welcome and refreshing site for some.

"It's not so bad," said Tom Appelbaum while brushing snow off his cars. "Pretty soon, when I'm done with this, cocktails."

Appelbaum and his dog Ginger went on a morning walk as snow blanketed nearby trails.

"It's one of the reasons we moved up here," said Appelbaum.

He's lived full-time in Soda Springs since 2015 and says while the snow came early this year, they were ready.

"We moved a lot of the firewood undercover and brought some in so we could have a nice fire this morning," said Appelbaum.

It's an unusual summer storm. This season's final sunset went going down on snow-covered slopes.

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