Snow day for Mariposa County schools as winter storm passed through Tuesday

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Mariposa County schools were closed Tuesday as a winter storm moved through the area.

"The kids are happy that there's snow. We woke up this morning and we had maybe an inch," said parent Sarah Wass.

Wass lives in Mariposa and, while she was headed to Merced, her three children were home because their schools had a snow day due to the incoming storm.

The Mariposa County Unified School District said on Facebook Monday it was canceling classes for the safety of students and staff, citing concerns of hazardous travel due to slick, snow covered roads.

Wass said initially she was surprised administrators called for the day off, but once snow started falling in the afternoon, she was glad they did.

"Now it's really good that they called it, transportation would be crazy," said Wass.

Blue skies peeked through the clouds throughout the day before a brief dusting of snow passed through the heart of Mariposa.

The winter weather didn't stop people from visiting local shops or driving.

Most of the snow, while lining the tops of cars, didn't stick to the ground.

Caltrans District 10 has been monitoring the storm but said extra staff wasn't necessarily needed.

"It's not proving to be what we'd call a heavy winter event," said Bob Highfill, a public information officer for Caltrans District 10.

Caltrans officials said their teams would continue to monitor the conditions and call in extra staff, if needed.

In the meantime, officials are reminding drivers to take extra precautions.

"It's always a good idea to bring an emergency supply kit when we're traveling to include like a windshield scraper, extra food, blankets, water. You never know when you'll need those items and you'll definitely need them if you get stranded up there."

According to the Mariposa County Unified School District Facebook page, students are expected to return to class Wednesday.