Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Storms Strike Southern Nevada County; Slight Damage Reported

Severe storms ravaged southern Nevada County Monday, Jan. 5, leaving a wake of damage behind.

The Cale, Rosston, Bodcaw and Willisville areas were hit the hardest by the storms.

Davis Benton, Cale meteorologist, said the winds were estimated at 75 miles per hour, or hurricane force.

These winds uprooted trees, blowing them across the highway and knocked down power lines, leaving residents without electricity or, in many cases, telephone service.

Hail also ravaged the region, but caused no serious damage. Hail could still be seen on the ground Tuesday morning as crews worked to restore utilities and clear debris.

On highway 371, the first of the damage could be seen at the Cale cutoff, as limbs littered the ground.

Further down the road, trees were laying in ditches, the tops cut out so the road would be passable for motorists.

However, the winter storm was not a tornado, Benton said. Straight line winds caused the damage, snapping the tops of some pine trees, while uprooting others.

Benton's home was also damaged by the storm, as lightning hit an oak tree and knocked another tree onto a guest house on the property. The Bentons also lost phone service.

Nevada County Judge James Roy Brown said the Nevada County Rescue Unit had people cutting trees at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, while county work crews arrived at 3:30 a.m. and began clearing trees from the roads.

"We appreciate all the help we got," Brown said. The assistance came from the NCRU, area volunteer fire departments and individuals who showed up ready to work.

Benton said 1.25 inches of rain were dumped in southern Nevada County by the storm. With the exception of Jan. 1, 1998, he added, it has rained some every other day, up to Jan. 8.