Key highway, ski resorts closed as heavy snowfall hits California’s Sierra Nevada

A strong cold wind accompanied by heavy snowfall hit California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Sunday, causing a major highway and ski resorts to be closed, news agency AP reported.

According to news agency Reuters, the National Weather Service warned of wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour (72 kph) and blizzard conditions in the highest mountain elevations through Sunday night. Forecasters have warned people to stay indoors, with a high risk of avalanches in the backcountry mountains of Eastern Sierra Nevada, the news agency reported.

Sections of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe were blocked by snow piling up in lanes, with no apparent signs of reopening, the California Highway Patrol stated.

Snow piles up in front of a church during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, California. (AP Photo)

The CHP office in South Lake Tahoe warned motorists that tire chains for improved traction are required on routes through the mountains, where more than 7 feet of snow fell over the weekend, AP reported.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the agency wrote, “Trying to bypass chain control, no no no!! Dangerous and not smart.”

The storm began to move rapidly into the region last Thursday, following which California authorities shut down 160 kilometres of I-80, that is, the main route between Reno and Sacramento, citing “spin outs, high winds, and low visibility.”

A second, weaker storm is on the forecast for Monday to Wednesday, which is set to bring additional rain and snow. Forecasters have also warned that more heavy snow was on its way for Northern California.

A house’s entrance is covered with snow, in Truckee, U.S., in this picture obtained from social media, March 2, 2024 . (Photo: Reuters)

Ski resorts around Lake Tahoe, and the Yosemite National Park were closed owing to the heavy snowfall. Palisades Tahoe, the largest resort on the north end of the lake closed almost all chairlifts on Sunday, reporting a three-day snow total of six feet, with more falling, AP had reported. The resort declared it is planning to re-open on March 4, however, considering the weather conditions.

“It is our goal to have a few lifts going at both mountains by 9 am, but this is not a guarantee,” a blog post on the official website of the resort claimed. “We have to see what happens overnight, and delays are always possible,” it stated.

The storm left thousands of homes and businesses without power, the news agencies reported. Over 22,000 customers lost electricity in northern California, according to the PowerOutage.us tracking service, the Reuters report stated. By Sunday evening, Pacific Gas & Electricity restored electricity for all but about 4,800 customers, while NV Energy reduced its outages to roughly 1,000 homes and businesses across the state line in Nevada, AP report said.

The National Weather Service office in Sacramento discouraged mountain travel, owing to a blizzard effect until Sunday midnight for some areas above 6.500 feet. Lower elevations were under a winter storm warning, with another 2 feet of snow.

Weather service meteorologist William Churchill on Saturday called the storm an “extreme blizzard” for the Sierra Nevada but said he didn’t expect records to be broken, AP report stated.

– with inputs from AP, Reuters

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