Heavy Snow Hits the Sierra

A powerful storm dumped heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, triggering car accidents and shutting down roads to Lake Tahoe.

Several locations on Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 50 near Placerville, Calif., were closed late Saturday afternoon because of snowfall, according to the California Highway Patrol.

“It’s totally nasty,” said Kathi Scott of the Kingvale Shell Station west of Donner Summit. “It’s coming down in bundles. Even four-wheel-drives are having trouble. It’s a good day to stay inside.”

Authorities urged motorists to wait until the storm passed before heading up to the ski resorts.

A winter storm warning from Yosemite to Kings Canyon remains in effect until this morning, with 1 to 2 feet of snow expected above 7,000 feet. Snow was also expected in Reno and other valley floors of northwest Nevada, according to the National Weather Service.

The blast of snow comes after a series of storms earlier that dropped more than 10 feet of snow in the Sierra.

“It’s not as strong as the storms of two weeks ago, but certainly it’s another potent front coming through,” said forecaster Roger Lamoni.

High winds in Reno on Saturday caused scattered power failures and some property damage, authorities said. Gusts of more than 100 mph were reported on the Sierra crest. “It certainly exacerbated some damage from two weeks ago,” Lamoni said.

Forecasters expected a temporary return to dry weather this afternoon before more rain or snow hits the area Monday night.

“New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day look like they’ll have pretty nice weather,” Lamoni said.