Bay Area wowed by snow, prepares for much-needed rain

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- Snow greeted the Bay Area Tuesday morning, giving many residents a rare treat of white in the Livermore foothills and on Mt. Diablo. A snow-capped Mt. Hamilton could be seen from San Jose.

In the North Bay, crews were getting ready for a new storm which could bring up to two inches of rain Thursday and Friday.

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Sonoma County work crews were making emergency repairs to portions of Riebli Road in Santa Rosa which has been deteriorating after being damaged in the wildfires. Crews were hoping to beat the approaching storm and finish asphalt repairs by Wednesday.

Preparations are also being made in neighborhoods hardest hit by wildfires last October.

"We are concerned because we know we will be testing our storm drain system once again," said Santa Rosa firefighter and city spokesman, Paul Lowenthal.

Dozens of storm drains which melted in the fires have been repaired. The new challenge is keeping them free from debris with all the cleanup going on.

VIDEO: Sky7 over gorgeous snowy peaks in Bay Area

Fourteen-hundred storm drains are being protected with gravel bags and orange colored straw wattles designed to catch debris runoff before it washes into the drains, which could clog and choke them.

The National Weather Service says Santa Rosa has received about 13 inches of rain since October. Last year at this time, they had 52 inches.

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