The westbound Highway 180 offramp at Fowler Avenue was closed Thursday afternoon for Caltrans landscaping operations.
"We're working diligently to make sure that we're providing safety for the motoring public," said Caltrans spokesperson Alex Aguilera.
"For us, trimming down these weeds is important because, for one, for driver safety. Sometimes these weeds grow taller and they impede driver visibility as well as during the summer season," Aguilera said. "As we see these temperatures, we like to reduce the risk of these wildfires throughout the present area."
As the grass changes with the weather, CAL FIRE tells Action News this season is different, with summer-like conditions arriving a little earlier than expected.
"We're starting to run grass fires or vegetation fires earlier than last year," says CAL FIRE spokesperson Gary Couch.
Our Skyview30 camera captured the changing landscape.
Take a look at this shot of the Owens Mountains just a month earlier. You can see the change in color. It's green in early March, then turns golden by the end of the month and now appears brown.
With the dry grass and winds, fire crews are taking action ahead of the hotter months when fire season tends to pick up.
"Yeah, we don't wanna see what we had last year, especially in January," says Couch.
Last year, the Central Valley saw several fires across the region. That is what they're trying to prevent.
"It's good people are trying to prepare and take care of their properties by mowing their dry weeds now," Couch says. "Again, if you want to do it before 10 a.m."