Hundreds of miles of California highways remained shut down Sunday as a powerful blizzard pounded parts the Golden State, Nevada, Utah and Colorado for a third day with snow totals that could reach 12 feet in some areas amid howling winds with gusts that have hit 190 mph.
National Weather Service meteorologist William Churchill warned of “life-threatening concern” for residents near Lake Tahoe.
“Moderate to heavy snow has persisted overnight across the northern Sierra Nevada,” the National Weather Service in Sacramento said in a social media post Sunday. “Wind gusts … are continuing to result in blizzard conditions.”
More than 100 miles of I-80 remained closed Sunday from the Nevada border to Colfax, California, and there was “no estimated time of reopening the freeway,” the California Highway Patrol warned. Hundreds of travelers were trapped in their vehicles for hours, and more than 300 vehicles were stranded.
“We suggest you stay home, stay warm and don’t put yourself and your family in a dangerous situation,” the CHP in Truckee said on social media.
The snow was expected to continue through Sunday. A smaller system could add another 1-2 feet at higher elevations Monday and Tuesday, Alex Repport, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist. told USA TODAY.
“There are some areas in the highest elevations that could still see 10-12 feet,” Reppert said. “These storms happen once every few years, but it is nothing that is entirely out of the normal for the area or will break any records.”
Ski resort will be digging out for the ‘foreseeable future’
“High avalanche danger is expected in the backcountry” through Sunday, the weather service warned. Ski resorts live for major snowstorms, but there are limits. Many resorts forced to shut down Friday, although some were hoping to reopen as soon as Sunday. A wind gust of 190 mph was recorded near the Palisades Tahoe resort, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Reppert told USA TODAY.
“We are going to do our very best to get chairlifts spinning” on Sunday, Palisades Tahoe said on its website. “Our teams have been playing catchup the past two days, but there is still a lot of work to do. We will be digging out for the foreseeable future.”
Thirty miles north of Palisades, the Sugar Bowl resort also planned to reopen Sunday but warned of “significant” delays while resort workers dig out and conduct avalanche mitigation.
Where is the blizzard in California?
Churchill called the storm an “extreme blizzard for the Sierra Nevada, in particular, as well as other portions of Nevada and even extending into Utah and portions of western Colorado.” But he said he didn’t expect records to be broken.
“It’s certainly just about as bad as it gets in terms of the snow totals and the winds,” Churchill said. “It doesn’t get much worse.”
Snow plow driver Kyle Frankland said several parts of his rig broke as he cleared wet snow underneath piles of powder.
“I’ve been in Truckee 44 years. This is a pretty good storm,” Frankland said. “It’s not record-breaking by any means, but it’s a good storm.”