Hurricane winds, closed roads and 2 m of snow: a winter storm hits California

Due to a snowstorm in California, ski resorts have been closed and roads are difficult to travel. Heavy snowfall and hurricane winds hit the mountains, reports CNN.

Photo: iStock.com/raclro

A blizzard brought damaging winds and heavy snowfall to Northern California's mountain ranges and valleys over the weekend.

The most extreme conditions occur in the mountains, on the highest peaks.

Winter storm warnings are in effect in most western states, and blizzard warnings remain in effect in the northern and central Sierra Nevada, where snowfalls of up to 30 inches and wind gusts of 72-120 km per hour are possible, while at the tops of the mountains they will reach 140 km per hour.

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As of the morning of March 4, the Weather Prediction Center described conditions in the region as "unsettled" and said more "very heavy snowfall" was expected at higher elevations in the mountains.

The department said another low pressure system was approaching the West Coast. It carries strong winds in the upper atmosphere. This portends unsettled weather in the northwestern United States midweek.

The northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range are likely to see heavy snowfall on March 4th. Forecasts show snowfall reaching the northern Rockies and affecting southern Idaho as well as western Wyoming by March 5th. Meteorologists say most of the snow will fall in higher elevations, but some parts of southern Oregon will also see some precipitation.

The snow closed 120 miles of Interstate 80 near the Nevada state line for more than 1 hours. On March XNUMX, many drivers were stuck on this section of the road.

Some areas of the Sierra received more than 72 feet of snow in 2 hours, according to the National Weather Service. At Sugar Bowl, California, and Donner Peak, California, it was about 230 cm.

At the Palisades-Tahoe ski area on March 3, a wind gust of 233 km per hour was recorded, and at the Sagehen Creek station - 222 km per hour.

In California, on the evening of March 3, about 8600 homes and businesses were left without electricity.

Numerous ski slopes and lifts were closed on March 3, including in Palisades-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Mammoth.

Terrible travel conditions

Heavy snowfall and roaring winds in the Sierra and parts of the northern ranges mean blowing snow and poor visibility are making travel "impossible," as the National Weather Service has warned.

The storm on March 2 closed the main road leading to the Mammoth Mountain ski area, US 395, for several hours, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Some vehicles were stranded on the road and required assistance, according to the Truckee Highway Patrol.

“At one point, the snowstorm made it difficult for emergency personnel and tow trucks to reach motorists,” the agency said.

Many roads in the area are closed due to weather conditions, and on some highways, traffic police will only allow vehicles to pass if they have special chains on their wheels.

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In South Lake Tahoe, a snow slide blocked vehicles and briefly closed Highway 3 on the morning of March 50. There were no injuries and patrol crews quickly resumed traffic on the road, officials said.

Yosemite National Park, which was closed March 1 due to the storm, partially reopened to visitors on March 3 afternoon, officials said, but warned that vehicles may need snow chains.

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