The Department of Transportation and Sanitation crews put chains on snow-removal vehicles Thursday afternoon at the service yard on Loma Rica Drive in anticipation of the storm. Above, Charlie Cain hooks chains on the wheel of a grader. (Photo by John Hart)

They were bracing for lots of snow and hoped others were, too.

With white stuff expected to hit western Nevada County by early this morning, authorities wanted to believe motorists had learned a thing or two from the last snowstorm Jan. 25 - when abandoned vehicles everywhere provided obstacles for rescuers and plow drivers trying to navigate through about 9 inches of snow.

"I think a lot of people got caught by surprise," Sgt. Mike Lawrence of the California Highway Patrol said Thursday.

The new blast could bring as much as 12 inches of snow at elevations near 1,500 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

It's part of a cold, vigorous Pacific storm that moved in Thursday night. The Weather Service predicted a break in the storm Saturday afternoon, before a second system hits Saturday night and spans at least into Sunday.

They're ready at the county Transportation and Sanitation Department, where crews chained the tires of their plow equipment.

"We're keying up for it. It was quite a headache this last storm, and we just want to gear up and get our equipment in place," said Richard Johnson, county road superintendent.

Last month's heavy, wet snowfall wreaked havoc on trees and power lines.

"Hopefully, that storm took down all the weakened stuff so we won't have that kind of problem," said Chief Tim Fike of the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District. "If this storm is colder, it shouldn't be as heavy."

He was prepared to to have an extra shift on-duty, keeping 18 firefighters at work, as opposed to the usual 10. During last month's storm, Consolidated crews responded to 52 calls in 24 hours, most of them in a 12-hour span. The district normally receives about 10 calls a day.

The possibility of Friday school closures was unknown Thursday night. Terry McAteer, Nevada County superintendent of schools, said the district, CHP and Durham Transportation would make a decision by 5 a.m. today.

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