Snow Delays Thousands in Sierra; Avalanche Claims Home

Snow, avalanches and high winds that hit the eastern Sierra over the weekend destroyed one house, damaged several others and shut down highways, briefly stranding thousands of travelers.

At one point Sunday morning, a 100-mile section of U.S. 395 between Bishop and the Nevada state line was closed by snowdrifts and slides as high as 15 feet, shutting down the only road in and out of several Sierra mountain resort towns. The California Highway Patrol said the road reopened Sunday evening, allowing weekend skiers and others to get home.

Some of those stranded in Mammoth Lakes on Saturday night had jammed into the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels, looking for food and lodging.

Robert Martin, 40, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who lives in Hermosa Beach, got stuck in June Lake after a week of skiing with friends. “We tried to get out on Saturday and again today, but we’re trapped here. We’re just playing pool and passing the time until the sheriff lets us go through,” he said.

In the resort community of Twin Lakes outside Bridgeport, at least one house was destroyed by an avalanche, and several others nearby were damaged, according to the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. About 60 miles south, an avalanche destroyed a barn and killed a horse.

“We’ve got snowslides coming down throughout the county,” said Lt. Terry Padilla of the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. “Once they start sliding, everything that’s prone to slide can go, and avalanche danger is extreme.”

Mono County officials issued warnings to residents in avalanche-prone areas, but by Sunday afternoon had ordered no evacuations.

Snow had been falling for several days, but high winds over the weekend created whiteout conditions on U.S. 395. Sections of the road between Bishop and Bridgeport were closed, reopened and closed again by drifts and snowslides. Road crews working to minimize the danger of further slides used explosives to blast away snow overhanging the road.

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