A huge backlog of trucks and cars stranded in the California snow has been caught on dramatic drone footage as a winter storm blitzes the state for a fifth day.
Northern regions of the Golden State were blanketed with 12 inches of snow over the weekend, prompting officials to warn residents not to travel – and forecasters have warned that another whitewash is on the way.
The powerful blizzard closed highways and ski resorts in California and Nevada after the storm system moved over the west coast Thursday last week.
A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe were still shut down late Sunday, with no estimate for reopening, the California Highway Patrol said.
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 (2.1 meters) of snow fell over the weekend.
A ginormous backlog of trucks and cars stranded in the California snow has been caught on dramatic drone footage as a winter storm blitzes the state for a fifth day
Northern regions of the Golden State were doused with 12 inches of snow over the weekend, prompting officials to warn residents not to travel – and forecasters have warned that another whitewash is on the way. (Pictured: the backlog on a California highway on Monday)
The powerful blizzard closed highways and ski resorts in California and Nevada after the storm system moved over the west coast Thursday last week. (Pictured: the backlog on a California highway on Monday)
Blizzard warnings had mostly expired but scattered thunderstorms were likely and another 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow was possible at higher elevations, the National Weather Service office in Sacramento said.
‘Mountain travel is HIGHLY discouraged!’ the office warned.
The multiday storm caused traffic backups and closures on I-80 and many other roadways, shut down ski resorts for two days, and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.
By Sunday night, Pacific Gas & Electric had restored electricity to all but about 4,400 Northern California customers, while NV Energy had reduced its outages to roughly 1,000 homes and businesses across the state line in Nevada.
Palisades Tahoe, the largest resort on the north end of the lake, was among several ski mountains that closed most or all chairlifts for a second straight day Sunday because of snow, wind and low visibility.
Palisades reported a three-day snow total of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with more falling.
‘We will be digging out for the foreseeable future,’ officials said on the resort´s blog.
Kevin Dupui, who lives in Truckee, just northwest of Lake Tahoe, said his snow blower broke, but it doesn´t really matter because there´s nowhere to put all the snow anyway. ‘We just move it around,’ he said Sunday.
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – MARCH 3: A view of parked RVs after heavy snowfall at Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – MARCH 3: People remove snow around their cars during heavy snowfall at Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – MARCH 3: Snow blankets over streets of Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – MARCH 3: Snow blankets over streets of Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – MARCH 3: A sign states road closure due to heavy snowfall in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Dupui said residents and tourists seem to be mostly heeding warnings to stay home. ‘The roads haven´t been that safe, so we don´t really want people driving around,’ he said.
Another Truckee resident, Jenelle Potvin, said at first some cynical locals thought ‘there was a little too much hype’ made about the approaching storm. But then the unrelenting snow began Friday night.
The California Highway Patrol admitted that the conditions were so treacherous their own officers had got stuck.
‘Even our officers sometimes get stuck in the snow,’ the organization said in a Facebook post alongside an image of their patrol vehicle stuck in two feet of snow.
‘The blizzard-like conditions have yet to let up, but nonetheless, our officers are working hard to keep everyone safe. Avoid travel during this time and stay updated on road conditions.’
The California Highway Patrol admitted that the conditions were so treacherous their own officers had got stuck
A Union Pacific engine clears the train tracks of snow in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024
Highway I-80 closed for third night in a row amid snowstorm in between Colfax and Truckee in California, United States on March 3, 2024
Highway I-80 closed for third night in a row amid snowstorm in between Colfax and Truckee in California, United States on March 3, 2024 as blizzard warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada
A truck driver checks tire chains as all trucks parked on Highway I-80 due to no visibility, near California border in Reno, Nevada, United States on March 3, 2024 as blizzard warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada
A truck driver checks tire chains as all trucks parked on Highway I-80 due to no visibility, near California border in Reno, Nevada, United States on March 3, 2024 as blizzard warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada
A snow plow in operation on Highway I-80 near California border in Reno, Nevada, United States on March 3, 2024 as blizzard warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada
A truck driver checks tire chains as all trucks parked on Highway I-80 due to no visibility, near California border in Reno, Nevada, United States on March 3, 2024 as blizzard warning issued for California’s Sierra Nevada
‘It was definitely a blizzard. And we woke up to a lot of snow yesterday and it never let up,’ Potvin said Sunday. Her neighbors were snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the streets.
In the eastern Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was closed Sunday as winds of up to 70 mph (113 kph) made it too difficult for ski patrol to complete avalanche mitigation, the resort said. More than 3 feet (nearly 1 meter) of snow fell over three days, and more was on the way.
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.
The storm began barreling into the region Thursday. A widespread blizzard warning through Sunday morning covered a 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch of the mountains. A second, weaker storm was forecast to bring additional rain and snow between Monday and Wednesday, forecasters said.
A view of sidewalk during heavy snowfall as snow blankets Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024
A view of 76 gas station during heavy snowfall as snow blankets Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024
People remove snow around their cars during heavy snowfall at Historic Downtown in Truckee, California, United States on March 3, 2024
A truck is rolled over as high winds hit US Route 395 near Big Pine, Californa, on March 3, 2024
California authorities on Friday shut down 100 miles (160 kilometers) of I-80, the main route between Reno and Sacramento, because of ‘spin outs, high winds, and low visibility.’ There was no estimate when the freeway would reopen from the California-Nevada border west of Reno to near Emigrant Gap, California.
Rudy Islas spent about 40 minutes shoveling his car out before heading to work at a coffee shop in Truckee on Sunday morning. Neither he nor his customers were fazed by the snow, he said.
‘To be honest, if you´re a local, it´s not a big deal,’ he said. ‘I think a lot of people are used to the snow and they prepare for it.’
