Deep Snow Wreaks Havoc in High Sierra

Thousands of people were stranded in the High Sierra on New Year’s Day as the second major storm of the week raked the northern half of California, piling snow up to 20 feet deep in the mountains above Lake Tahoe.

Interstate 80 and Highway 50--the two main routes across the mountains--were shut down for much of the day by 10-foot snowdrifts. It was the second time in less than a week that both highways had been closed.

Forecasters said the snow should continue falling in the Sierra until this afternoon, and another frigid storm is expected to strike the mountains by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The town of Truckee, near the summit of Donner Pass, was cut off in all directions for hours on Friday. Towns at the base of the High Sierra were jammed with the big rigs of truckers and the cars and vans of holiday motorists as trans-mountain driving came to a halt.

Traffic crawled, if it moved at all, at California’s ski resort centers in the Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes areas, both of which were jammed to capacity with visitors.

To the north, Interstate 5--the state’s principal north-south artery--was reopened Friday morning after being closed for more than 24 hours. Hundreds of motorists--many of them fans from the state of Washington who had hoped to make it to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena--were stranded in the Mt. Shasta area on New Year’s Eve.

The snow was so deep in Mt. Shasta that several roofs collapsed under the weight, but there were no injuries reported. The National Guard dispatched troops and trucks to help move snow and supplies in Siskiyou County, where a state of emergency was declared.

The broad storm spread as far east as the Rockies on Friday, halting Amtrak rail traffic over the Continental Divide for the third straight day. Only the tail of the storm is expected to hit Southern California, with light showers predicted today.

The slow-moving storm first hit the state Wednesday near the Oregon border, blocking 80 miles of I-5 with windblown snow by nightfall and dumping enough rain along the Northern California coast to prompt flood warnings Thursday on the Eel, Napa and Russian rivers.

The snow fell around Mt. Shasta throughout the day on Thursday, and by nightfall, almost three feet had piled up. The total for December was almost nine feet, the third highest amount for the month since measurements were first recorded there before the turn of the century.

When roofs in the area began collapsing, shivering residents clambered atop their homes to shovel away snow and ice. A local radio station put out a call for volunteers and scores of people responded.

With I-5 still shut down Thursday night, motorists sought refuge wherever they could find it--in motels soon filled to overflowing, in National Guard armories and in homes where generous residents made room for them.

“People were coming out to our truck, bringing us coffee and food,” said big-rig driver Randall Miller of Los Angeles. “Then they invited us into their houses.

“It’s like the way it used to be, when people helped each other out,” he said. “It gives us hope for society.”

The electricity in Mt. Shasta went out several times during the night, and the city’s emergency telephone system was switched to battery power.

“Everything was out,” said Charmaine Hudgens, a waitress at an all-night restaurant. “All we served was cold pie and cold coffee.”

Shortly after dawn on New Year’s Day, the snowfall began easing up around Mt. Shasta, and within a few hours, Caltrans had opened a narrow path along I-5 and the California Highway Patrol was escorting traffic at 35 m.p.h.

By then, the main force of the storm had turned southeast, piling new snow on the High Sierra, where as much as five feet had fallen earlier in the week. I-80 was reopened at nightfall, but by then, the traffic had backed up for miles on both sides of the Sierra, with motorists crowding into motels, restaurants, service stations and any other warm place where they could find refuge.

Falling snow, driven by high winds, led to “whiteout” conditions and reduced visibility for skiers and drivers to near zero in the Mammoth Lakes area on New Year’s Day.

The sounds of cannons echoed throughout the day as ski resort operators used vintage artillery pieces to blast down piles of snow on steep slopes as a precaution against further avalanches. An avalanche in Mammoth Lakes on Wednesday claimed the life of a 20-year-old man.

Many skiers abandoned the slopes at the huge Mammoth Mountain ski area because of the near-blizzard conditions there.

But the town of Mammoth Lakes took on a festive air as the throng of thwarted skiers took to the streets, overwhelming local shops and restaurants.

The visitors had a little trouble with the slippery pavement.

One car skidded on a turn and toppled slowly over in front of a popular restaurant. The car’s occupants, shaken but unhurt, crawled out, righted the vehicle, and drove off.

Times staff writer Malnic reported from Los Angeles. Forstenzer, a correspondent, reported from Mammoth Lakes.