Officials knew the San Bernardino County mountains were going to be hit by a bad storm days before an unprecedented blizzard rolled in.
But they found themselves unprepared for the historic amount of snow and the disruptions it would bring. More than 100 inches of snow fell in back-to-back storms over the course of a few days, shutting down most mountain roads and leaving multiple communities stranded, some for nearly two weeks since.
Some of the snowplows local officials had available proved no match for the massive accumulation of snow. And because much of California was also experiencing record-setting wintry weather, supplemental supplies from other counties were unavailable, officials said.
