Sacramento residents share mixed reactions on Thursday's rain
SACRAMENTO — The wind and rain made for a messy commute across the valley Thursday morning. The rain cleared out by the afternoon but left cold temperatures in the evening.
Thursday had a cold and wet morning as rain drenched much-needed parts of the Central Valley. The wind blew leaves off of the trees and into the streets in parts of downtown Sacramento.
City street crews worked throughout the day clearing leaves and preventing them from piling up near storm drains.
"It's best to keep them out of storm drains to allow water to flow freely. When you drive through a corner and you see a bunch of leaves there, that can be avoided by people clearing the leaves and putting them neatly in a pile," said Jesa David, a spokesperson for the Department of Recycling and Solid Waste.
The streets of midtown Sacramento were empty except for several joggers near McKinley Park braving the cold and wet weather for some exercise.
"It's a beautiful day. I think I like running in the rain more than anything else," jogger Jeff Adams said.
Meanwhile, in Rio Linda, residents had less enthusiasm for the rain as many were concerned about flooding. Rio Linda Hardware store stayed busy with residents stocking up on sandbags.
"It's definitely a flood zone and we have creeks all around us. People would normally put these sandbags around their doors, garage doors, regular doors," employee Melissa Craig said.
While demand for supplies was high, Craig knew the rain was needed. That was a sentiment also shared by Jeff Adams.
"California needs the rain. The more the better, so bring it on," he said.