Any weather prognosticators out there? Meteorologically speaking December 1 marks the first day of winter. The winter of 1915-16 was brutal. Snowfall was heavy throughout the region, and it was unusually wet. One storm in January dumped over four feet in Susanville. It was necessary for the Southern Pacific Railroad to bring in a rotary snow plow to keep the rail line open between Susanville and Westwood. In Westwood, Red River came up with a contraption they called a snow roller to compress the snow. Once all the snowstorms subsided in early January, it turned bitter cold with long periods of below zero temperatures. Because of the water content in snow, Red River officials dubbed the condition as “Blue Snow.”