Colfax, California (AP) — A heavy Christmas weekend storm caused whiteouts and closed major highways as snow blew in the mountains of Northern California and Nevada.
On Sunday, 70 miles (112 kilometers) of Interstate Highway 80 was closed from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada border. The California State Transportation Agency has also closed other mountain routes, warning of poor visibility and slippery conditions for drivers.
The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada said: twitter.. “Today is the type of day I can just stay at home. It’s snowing more!”
The Meteorological Bureau issued a winter storm warning to Lake Tahoe until 1 am on Tuesday. This is due to “extensive whiteout conditions” and gusts that can exceed 45 mph (72 km).
The latest in a series of violent storms flooded the streets late Saturday and struck Southern California with heavy rains and strong winds knocking down power lines. According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, a strong gust knocked down a tree, damaged the carport, and blew the athletics stadium hut in the front yard, two blocks away from Goleta High School. No injuries have been reported.
According to Meteorological Services, more than 1.8 inches (4.5 centimeters) of rain fell over 24 hours in San Marcospas, Santa Barbara County, and 1.61 inches (4 centimeters) of rain in Rocky Butte, San Luis Obispo County.
Los Angeles International Airport said that “electrical problems related to storms” caused Terminal 5 to be partially closed, allowing passengers after Christmas to detour to other terminals for certain services.
“It is important to check today’s flight status when passing through Terminal 5, as cancellations and delays can occur.” LAX Tweeted.
In the San Bernardino Mountains, east of Los Angeles, crew members were repairing parts of Route 18 after heavy rains at the end of Thursday. Officials said the closure of the main route to the Big Bear Ski Resort area could last for weeks.
Subsequent storms were welcomed in dry California, where snow cover in Sierra was at dangerously low levels after a few weeks due to dry weather. However, the State Department of Water Resources reported on Christmas Eve that snow cover was usually 114% to 137% across the range and more snow was expected.
From Friday night to Saturday, 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow fell on Homewood on the west coast of Lake Tahoe. About 1 foot (30 centimeters) was reported at North Star near Truckee, California, and 10 inches (25 centimeters) at Mount Rose Ski Resort at the southwestern tip of Reno.