Interstate 80 remains closed through Sierra as threat of snow, showers linger for Northern California
Interstate 80 remained closed through the Sierra Nevada on Monday morning after a punishing blizzard that dropped several feet of snow across the Lake Tahoe region, limiting travel between the popular tourist spot and much of the rest of the state.
A blizzard warning for the northern Sierra expired shortly before 12:30 a.m. Monday, and was replaced by the National Weather Service with a winter storm warning as the threat of snow continued to hound the region. Another 4 to 10 inches of powder was expected to fall over Donner Pass between Monday morning and early Wednesday morning, according to Dakari Anderson, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“We’re on the downtrend of things,” Anderson said. “Hopefully they will be able to get out there and really start to dig out of the snow.”
While I-80 remained closed Monday morning, Highway 50 out of South Lake Tahoe remained open, albeit with chain restrictions.
The storm system that swung into California from the Gulf of Alaska late last week marked the biggest dumping of snow for the Sierra Nevada this season, with remarkable totals at ski resorts across the Lake Tahoe region.
Sugarbowl Summit received 10.5 feet of snow over the last four days, while Palisades Tahoe received nearly 8 feet of snow, Anderson said. Kirkwood, near Carson Pass on the southern side of Lake Tahoe, received nearly 5 feet of snow, he said.
Further west, cloudy skies and light showers were expected to linger through Wednesday for much of the Bay Area.
Photos: Strongest blizzard of the year dumps 24-42 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada
Little in the way of measurable precipitation is expected in that time, with rainfall totals expected to be in the hundredths of inches through Wednesday, Nicole Sarment, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“There may be pockets of sunshine, but it’ll still be cloudy,” Sarment said. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news.”
Rainfall over the weekend continued to add to impressive precipitation totals for much of the Bay Area so far this year, with the San Jose airport receiving about .5 inches of rain since Friday morning, while downtown San Francisco received 1.66 inches of rain. The Oakland airport received 1.15 inches of rain in that time.
Mostly sunny skies should return Thursday and Friday, Sarment said, before another round of rain returns over the weekend. Temperatures should linger in the low 60s for much of the week for the majority of the Bay Area.
Michael Shields, of Los Gatos, and Frank McGorman, of San Carlos, from left, with Shields’ dogs Jekyll and Hydee, from right, prepare to ski down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Patrons enter Jax At The Tracks diner past snow drifts in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow on Church Street near the historic Truckee Hotel as snow continues to fall in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Gas pumps are covered in fresh snow at the Flying A in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Dimitris Sweeney, right, and his brother-in-law Cole Heer dig out their car along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. They were trying to head to Northstar California Resort to ski and snowboard. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A patron enters the Pastime Club in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Trent Kirschner cross-country skis along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Michael Shields’ dogs Jekyll and Hydee, from right, run down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A man and his dog walk up to the Tahoe Donner Recreation and Park District’s Community Arts Center in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A Union Pacific engine clears the train tracks of snow in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A drone view of a snow-covered downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Snow drifts pile up at the Jax At The Tracks diner in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Cole Heer clears off his car along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. He and his brother-in-law Dimitris Sweeney were trying to head to Northstar California Resort to ski and snowboard. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow from the front of the historic Truckee Hotel in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Graham Adeson, foreground, and Brody Kellish, of Truckee, ski down a plowed mound of snow in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Icicles hang in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Nick Muzik shovels snow outside of the Bar of America as snow continues to fall in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A patron looks out at snow drifts at the Jax At The Tracks diner in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow from the front of the historic Truckee Hotel in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Angie Tomey, of Truckee, snowshoes down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)