Stretch of I-80 shut down as monster blizzard dumps snow on mountains in California and Nevada
RENO, Nev. — California authorities shut down 100 miles of Interstate 80 on Friday as the biggest snow storm of the season bore down on the Sierra Nevada, where residents were urged to take shelter and stay off roads as they prepared for up to 10 feet of snow in some areas and damaging winds.
“AAANNNDD WE’RE CLOSED!!” the California Highway Patrol posted on X, previously known as Twitter, saying the closure was due to “spin outs, high winds, and low visibility. No estimated time of reopening the freeway.”
Authorities closed the interstate in both directions after 5 p.m. on a day when the majority of more than a dozen ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were closed, a tornado touched down in central California and visitors to Yosemite National Park were told to leave. The 100-mile (160-kilometer) closure is at the state border just west of Reno, Nevada to near Emigrant Gap, California.
California Highway Patrol, state transportation officials and other authorities reported throughout the day that troopers and others were responding to dozens of collisions on I-80, cars sliding into snow banks or getting stuck on the side of slick roadways. There were no immediate reports of any serious injuries.
A tornado touched down Friday afternoon in Madera County before 4 p.m., said Andy Bollenbacher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Hanford. It caused some damage to an elementary school, he said.
The National Weather Service in Reno said late Friday it expects the heaviest snow to arrive after midnight, continuing with blizzard conditions and blowing snow through Saturday that could reduce visibility to one-quarter mile or less.
The storm began barreling into the region on Thursday, with the biggest effects expected to close major highways and trigger power outages Friday afternoon into Saturday.
A blizzard warning through Sunday morning covers a 300-mile (482-kilometer) stretch of the mountains.
Rick Grundy, manager of the Chevron Food Mart near Donner Lake just off Interstate 80, said business was slow Friday — people seemed to have taken officials’ advice to hunker down. After living in the Truckee, California, area for 20 years, he said he knows how to prepare for bad weather.
“We’re pretty well stocked. We knew this was coming,” Grundy said. “One thing I’ve learned, if you are not used to driving in this weather, if you’re not used to being in this area, it’s not a good idea. You should stay home.”
Winds are expected to gust in excess of 115 mph (185 kph) over Sierra ridgetops, and 70 mph (113 kph) at lower elevations.
