Northern California is expected to see low snow, traffic delays and more as a winter storm system moves through the state.
CALIFORNIA, USA — A winter weather storm, which arrived Sunday afternoon and is expected to continue through Wednesday, is heavily impacting Northern California.
Postpone or delay travel if possible, authorities said, as Tuesday saw more road closures, an outage and warnings.
Interstate 80 closed in both directions
As of around 8:15 a.m., all Interstate 80 lanes are closed for about a 60-mile stretch.
Eastbound I-80 is closed at Applegate and westbound I-80 at Stateline, according to California Highway Patrol’s Truckee office.
Donner Summit
I-80 over Donner Summit is closed in both directions due to whiteout conditions and poor visibility, and travel is unsafe at this time, CHP Truckee said around 11:10 a.m. Tuesday.
“Should I stay or should I go? You should probably stay…,” the agency wrote on X.
Highway 50 closed
Highway 50 from Sly Park (Placerville) to Meyers is closed as of 10:40 a.m. Tuesday with no estimated time of reopening, according to the California Highway Patrol’s South Lake Tahoe office.
Highway 88 closed
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, a 20-mile stretch of Highway 88 from Peddler Vista to Red Lake Creek was closed due to whiteout conditions, per Caltrans District 10.
As of around 10 a.m., Highway 88 was closed for about a 10-mile stretch from Kirkwood to Picketts Junction (where Highway 88 and Highway 89 meet), CHP South Lake Tahoe said.
Chain controls
Chain controls are in effect as far west as Grass Valley and Alta Sierra, the Caltrans QuickMap indicates.
Calaveras County outage
Over 5,000 people in Calaveras County are without power due to a storm, and crews will inspect and make repairs when able, per the PG&E outage map.
“Crews are currently responding to emergencies due to storm damage, the notification says. “Once the extreme weather has passed, crews will begin repairs.”
Sierra avalanche warning
An avalanche warning was issued 5 a.m. Tuesday and expires 5 a.m. Wednesday, per the Sierra Avalanche Center. The specific area affected is the central Sierra Nevada mountains between Yuba Pass (Highway 49) in the north and Ebbetts Pass (Highway 4) in the south, including the greater Lake Tahoe area.
The warning does not include ski areas or highways where avalanche mitigation programs exist, the center said.
“Rapidly accumulating snowfall, weak layers in the existing snowpack, and gale-force winds that blow and drift snow have created dangerous avalanche conditions in the mountains,” center officials wrote in their warning. “Natural avalanches are likely, and human-triggered avalanches large enough to bury or injure people are very likely…Traveling in, near, or below backcountry avalanche terrain is not recommended during HIGH avalanche danger.”
Boreal closed
The Boreal Mountain California ski resort suspended operations Tuesday for safety reasons, officials said on social media.
“Well, that Tahoe weather has finally come,” officials wrote in their post. “Due to high winds, relentless snow, zero-visibility and road closures, we have decided to temporarily suspend operations today (2-17) to keep our guests and staff safe. Enjoy the day off from the slopes and stay safe!”
Operations across all three locations, Boreal, Woodward Tahoe and Soda Springs have reportedly been suspended.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area closed
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Woolly’s Adventure Summit, Snowmobile Adventures, and Tamarack Cross-Country Ski Center are also closed Tuesday due to extremely deep snow and storm conditions, ski resort officials said.
Officials said they will assess conditions to plan Wednesday’s operations.
Yosemite conditions
Yosemite National Park officials said around 2:15 p.m. Monday visitors should carry tire chains and be prepared for delays and road closures.
All campgrounds and Curry Village are closed through at least Wednesday night due to high winds and snow, according to park officials.
Big Oak Flat Road will be temporarily closed starting at 6 p.m. Monday, park officials said. Badger Pass Road will also be temporarily shut down. Yosemite is reachable by Highway 41 and Highway 140, but chains are required.
The pedestrian route to the Horsetail Fall viewing area has been closed, as officials said cloudy conditions will reduce visibility.
National Weather Service warns of low snow, rain
Heavy snowfall is being observed down to 2000 feet in elevation as of around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office. The agency’s winter storm warning remains in effect through 10 p.m. Thursday, and travel is highly discouraged during that time.
Isolated thunderstorm development is possible, with a 15-30% probability across much of the Sacramento Valley, foothills and mountains, the NWS said.
Folsom road opened
Folsom’s Sibley Street between Blue Ravine Road and Levy Road, which was closed since about noon Monday due to flooding, opened at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday, per the Folsom Police Department.