I-80 reopens, digging out underway after monster snowstorm buries Northern California
Hundreds of motorists were stranded for hours amid a monster storm in California. Authorities shut down 100 miles of Interstate-80 on March 1 as the biggest snowstorm of the season hammered Sierra Nevada.
Vehicles were trapped and roads closed as heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada in California. Officials issued a blizzard warning that more snow is expected in some areas until March.
Interstate 80 over Donner Summit was reopened Monday afternoon to all vehicles with chains or with snow tires and four-wheel drive. CalTrans also urged all drivers to use caution as some areas of the interstate remain narrow due to snow and a lot of moving equipment.
A 100-mile stretch of I-80 had been shut down since Friday as the biggest storm of winter unleashed feet of snow, making sections of I-80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe impassable by blowing snow piling up in lanes. Traffic became snarled and hundreds of motorists were stranded in life-threatening conditions over Donner Pass.
Troopers and other authorities responded to dozens of collisions, including cars sliding into snow banks or getting stuck over the weekend There were no reports of any serious injuries.
"I'm mainly worried about the wind. It's not the snow. It's the wind," Truckee resident Spencer Larson told KGO ABC7 News as the snow started to fly Friday.
"I saw a big rig yesterday that was totally flipped over. It was gnarly," said Dayna Eder of Reno.
Motorists from Donner Pass, to Truckee, to Soda Springs, California, were trapped from a blizzard on March 1. Heavy snow and whiteout conditions were seen throughout the areas.
Yosemite National Park announced that it would be closed through the weekend and asked visitors to leave, but was able to partially reopen by Sunday.
More than a dozen ski resorts in the region closed this past weekend, including Palisades Tahoe on the north end of Lake Tahoe, which had to close chairlifts for two days due to a reported 6 feet of snow over three days, with no letup.
“High to extreme avalanche danger” is expected in the backcountry through Sunday evening throughout the central Sierra, including the greater Lake Tahoe area, the National Weather Service in Reno said.
"This is great for the Sierra, ski resort, mountain operators," Kevin Cooper of California Mountain Resort Company told ABC7 News. "In the last 30 years, I have not heard of 120 inches blizzard warning. So we could set some records in the short term," said Cooper.
AccuWeather experts warn of lingering hazards in the days and weeks to come. "The snow drifts are just going to be astronomical," AccuWeather's California Expert Ken Clark said. "People that live in the Sierra, and there are quite a few people that live there or are vacationing there, are not going to be able to get out for some time to come."
As of Monday night, over 4,000 households and businesses were without power in California, down from 40,000 over the weekend, according to poweroutage.us.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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