Tahoe Roads Hazardous : Blustery Winter Storm Blankets Sierra Nevada

Winter barreled into the Sierra Nevada early, blotting the landscape with up to three feet of snow Sunday, closing one major highway and glazing several others with ice, and dousing electrical power to about 1,000 rural homes.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning, scheduled to last through today’s Veterans Day holiday, because of the heavy snows and gusty winds that blew in from the Pacific Northwest late Saturday. More snow was expected.

“White-out” conditions around Lake Tahoe and blizzard-like snow in the mountain passes prompted highway officials to close 80 miles of westbound lanes and much of the eastbound section of Interstate 80 from inside the Nevada state line to Auburn. Snow tires and chains were required on other roads in the area, where stalled cars littered the snow-clotted lanes.

Hazardous Highways

Travel on highways in the Lake Tahoe area was especially hazardous, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol, while about 1,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers lost electricity. The Weather Service suggested not driving in the area at all and advised that travelers pack emergency equipment and “survival gear.”

No major traffic accidents were reported, although slick roadways caused “monumental” traffic jams, South Lake Tahoe police said.

Southern California, at the edge of the storm, had a winter storm watch issued for the Tehachapi Mountains, with snow expected as low as 3,000 feet by this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

In the Angeles National Forest, where up to one-half of an inch of snow had fallen by mid-evening, three hikers were reported missing. The hikers--two 16-year-old girls and a 24-year-old man who had gone to look for them when they failed to show up earlier in the day--were part of a church group on a daylong outing. The three were believed lost in rugged terrain at the 6,000-foot level.

“We’re very concerned because they are lightly dressed and not prepared for the cold,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Joseph Reid said. Rescue teams were searching for them about 18 miles north of the Red Box Ranger’s Station. Temperatures there were a frigid 20 degrees.

Earlier Sunday evening, motorists on Angeles Crest Highway reported hail falling, sheriff’s deputies said. “Glorified ice cubes” falling at about the 8,000-foot level is what one deputy said travelers called them, “like little BBs” lasting “for a couple of minutes.”

Farther south, scattered rain showers sprinkled the area, especially along the coast from Laguna Beach to Santa Barbara. The National Weather Service said showers were to continue locally today, with partly cloudy but slightly warmer weather Tuesday.

High Expected in Low 60s

Today’s highs in the Southland were expected to range only into the low 60s, with cloudy, breezy weather and a continuing chance of thunderstorms. Sunday’s Civic Center low was 54 degrees, and the high a scant 62.

Winds of 30 to 40 m.p.h. were to continue in the mountains and northern deserts.

The Sunday storm was a surprise to many travelers who had set off Friday or Saturday for a summery three-day weekend. “It was warm during the week, so presumably people from the Bay Area thought it would be fun to go hiking,” said Kenneth Gosting of the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau. However, Tuolumne County sheriff’s deputies reported no one missing in the vast Yosemite wilderness area.

Even farther away, travelers felt the storm’s sting.

Reno’s Cannon International Airport canceled about 60 flights Sunday because of gusty midday winds and poor visibility. Airport spokesman Rich Peacock said the storm’s timing could not have been worse. Sunday was the day most delegates were to arrive for the city’s National Tour Assn. convention.

Bay Area Highway Flooded

In San Francisco, rain flooded a section of U.S. 101 near San Francisco International Airport, where winds gusted up to 44 m.p.h.

But jubilant skiers welcomed the weather. “It’s a white-out. You can’t see to walk,” said Debbie Thomas of the Boreal Ridge ski resort. “Whenever the road opens, we’ll open.”

In snow-ringed Lake Tahoe, hopeful skiers said the snow arrived in answer to several days of “pray-for-snow” pub parties.