A storm system will bring rain and mountain snow showers through Saturday morning. This will be followed by more heavy rain, gusty winds, mountain snow, and isolated thunderstorms late this weekend into next week.

This could lead to saturating rains and flooding in the foothills, so residents should prepare now. Nevada County’s Office of Emergency Services reminds residents that no-cost sand is available for residents to mitigate flooding around their homes and to be prepared for hazardous driving conditions, especially if flooding starts to occur around waterways.

“Take advantage of any breaks in the weather this weekend to prepare your home or car before the heavy rains come in next week,” advises Alex Keeble-Toll, interim office of emergency services director.

Get No-Cost Sand

Self-serve sand is available to Nevada County residents at no cost. Bring your own shovel and sandbags to one of the four locations in western Nevada County:

• Next to the Nevada County Warehouse located at: the corner of Highway 49 and East Broad Street, Nevada City, CA 95959 
• Penn Valley Fire Protection District located at: 10513 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA 95946 
• North San Juan Community Hall located at: 10057 Reservoir Street, North San Juan, CA 95960 
• Higgins Fire Department located at: 10106 Combie Road, Auburn, CA 95602 

Sandbags are available for purchase online or at various local businesses or hardware stores.

More information is available at www.ReadyNevadaCounty.org/Sand.   

Be Prepared for Rain

Drive safely and report any flooding, mudslides or downed trees on County maintained roadways at public.works@nevadacountyca.gov or 530-265-1411. Crews are on-call after hours to respond to urgent issues. Nevada County Sanitation District customers can report emergent issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 530-265-1555.

Report downed power lines by calling 9-1-1 and to PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 or to Truckee Public Utility District at 530-587-3896. Never touch or walk in the immediate area of a downed powerline; assume it is energized and extremely dangerous.

Ready, Set, Snow!

There is always the potential for snow in Nevada County this time of year. Be ready with a full propane tank and plan to use fuel sparingly. Heavy storm conditions will delay fuel deliveries.

Line up snowplowing services in advance to ensure private driveways and roads remain accessible. For extensive, urgent storm damage cleanup, consider organizing with neighbors for coordinated tree debris removal.

Keep the following vendor contacts on hand for:

• Propane Service
• Emergency Tree Service
• Snow Plow
• Telecommunications
• Firewood
• Insurance

More information and tips at www.ReadyNevadaCounty.org/WinterPreparedness.