BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) Winter storms continued to pound Kern County, bringing hazardous driving conditions, crashes, road closures, and school delays as more snow and cold air moved into the region.
Mark Richardson urged drivers to slow down and stay alert.
“If you’re out driving around, be very cautious, like other people have said. If you’re used to this type of weather, still be very cautious,” Richardson said.
Michael Chestnut described the mix of danger and beauty in the storm.
Local weather observer helps meteorologists report conditions (KBAK/KBFX)
“It’s very dangerous conditions outside, but it’s still a beautiful, snowy white day,” Chestnut said.
As the storms continue, meteorologists are leaning on community members to help track conditions on the ground, including longtime weather observer Tammy Wimmer in Lake Isabella.
“Weather is super interesting to me. I love how it takes like the ground layer and the top layer to make a storm,” Wimmer said.
Local weather observer helps meteorologists report conditions (KBAK/KBFX)
Wimmer has been a weather observer for the last four years, starting with former chief meteorologist Miles Muzio and now working with Ilya Neyman.
“I got a rain gauge just so I could help him out and let him know exactly what’s falling here in Lake Isabella,” Wimmer said.
Neyman said those real-time reports help fill in what radar can’t show.
Local weather observer helps meteorologists report conditions (KBAK/KBFX)
“A radar can tell us yellow, orange, green, but it can’t tell us what’s happening beyond that screen. A person can,” Neyman said. “Tammy Wimmers and all of our other weather observers out there from Arvin to the Lake Isabella area – to Bear Mountain and all those places in between are telling us what’s happening in real time.”