Snow falls in parts of SLO County, including Cuesta Grade

ATASCADERO, Calif. -- A rare sighting of snow was seen in many parts of Northern San Luis Obispo County on Thursday morning.

"We woke up about 6:30 a.m. and came outside and there was a couple of inches on the ground," said Stephanie Raulston, who lives in the hills off of Highway 41 between Atascadero and Morro Bay. "We've been up here about a year and haven't seen anything like that. We've moved from Michigan and this was quite a surprise to get snow 10 miles from the coast."

Josh Peet, who lives nearby lower on the hillside said he was surprised to see just how much snow fell at his home during the storm.

"My daughter woke me up at 6:50 a.m. and she said, dad our grass is white, and I thought it was just sprinkling," said Ray. "I went out and looked and our whole lawn was covered in snow and it was snowing in huge flakes coming down, and I couldn't believe it. I've never seen it for the last 20 years that I've lived in San Luis County."

Reports of snow first began to appear around sunrise this morning, including on the Cuesta Grade, which hasn't experienced snowfall in several years.

"It's pretty cool," said Cornelius Ray, who drove to the Cuesta Grade to hike up the hillside. "You don't get to see it here very often, so it's pretty neat. I want to say I've seen snow probably one other time here in my entire life, so it's pretty rare and pretty neat."

The snow and ice that accumulated on the ground throughout the area made for a dramatic winter landscape not typically seen in the county.

"Noticed some good snow," said Will Jennings on the Cuesta Grade. "They had a little brushing of sleet you can say. Real pretty today. Real gorgeous today. I appreciate it. I love weather and temperature change and seasons.

By the around 8:30 a.m. much of the snow had already melted away, but several pockets of ice was visible along Highway 101.

"On the way up here, saw quite a bit of it just one the side of the road," said Ray. "It's definitely not blanketed out here, but it's neat to see little bits of it."