Filed: January 25, 1999

By MATTHEW YI
Associated Press Writer

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — There was a snowman in every yard and snowplows most people didn't know existed. There were massive traffic snarls, power outages and then the slush.

There hasn't been any measurable snow in Bakersfield in nearly 25 years — March 8, 1974. But Monday brought six inches of snow to the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley.

" Snowplows clearing Highway 99 got double takes from motorists as well as seasoned CHP officers unaware snow clearing equipment could be found in the Central Valley, just 300 feet above sea level.

"I haven't seen snow in the Central Valley here since the late 1960s," Visalia CHP Officer Carrol Barker said after the California Department of Transportation snowplows rolled by. "I was surprised, you bet."

Six inches of snow fell on Bakersfield's 200,000 residents.

Travel was a nightmare through the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and south through Los Angeles and on to the Mexican border.

The Bakersfield CHP handled 75 crashes Monday, which compares to about six crashes on a dry day, Wimbish said.

The last time it snowed in Bakersfield was in 1972 — meteorologists believe.

"It might have been hail though. There's a debate," Most said. "What we're getting today is genuine snow.

The only other measurable snow on record in Bakersfield was on Dec. 1, 1932. Trace amounts have been reported over the years, most recently on Dec. 21, 1990.

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