Snowfall in Sierra, Parts of West Nevada Snarls Traffic

Tire chains and snow shovels were more appropriate Mother’s Day gifts than bouquets in the Sierra and parts of western Nevada on Sunday, where up to a foot of snow halted traffic and blanketed springtime flowers.

The snowfall on Interstate 80 was generally light and slushy across Donner Summit, but a brief, heavy shower triggered a series of chain-reaction accidents that shut down eastbound lanes at the Kingvale exit for nearly two hours in the afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.

The National Weather Service said the unsettled conditions will continue to bring a chance of showers and thunderstorms for the next couple of days.

A National Weather Service spotter reported 12 inches of snow on the ground in Gardnerville early Sunday.

The same weather made chains mandatory for crossing Echo Summit on U.S. 50 and westbound traffic was stopped at Meyers, Calif., for avalanche control.