Slow Ride Ahead: Expect delays as peak holiday travel arrives in Sierra with winter storm
UPDATE 4PM: Traffic has been released on westbound I-80 at Donner Lake Interchange, but expect long delays. Chain controls still in effect.
***
UPDATE 1:47PM: From Caltrans: I-80 is closed between Kingvale and Donner Lake Road due to extremely heavy snowfall and multiple collisions. No estimated time of reopening.
***
With Christmas Eve travelers going east and westbound over the Sierra along two major highways, a Winter Weather Advisory for Lake Tahoe and Winter Storm Warning along the west slope of the Sierra in California, it is almost a sure bet motorists will experience delays before reaching their final destinations.
On I-80 near Donner Lake westbound traffic was at a dead stop as drivers head toward chain controls and snow. As of early Monday afternoon the controls are in place from Kingvale to the Donner Lake interchange with those expected to expand as the storm enters the region.
Eastbound I-80 traffic is being turned at Kingvale and westbound traffic is being turned at the Donner Lake Interchange due to spin-outs over the summit, according to Caltrans.
On the South end late Monday morning, US50 between Placerville and South Lake Tahoe, there were not any controls in place, just wet roads and some traffic, especially between Sierra-at-Tahoe and Meyers. That's expected to change, however, as the storm continues to slide in.
When the ski resort closes for the day expect that stretch to be very heavy with traffic. On Sunday night, traffic came to a complete stop for much of that drive and that was without snow or controls in place.
According to the National Weather Service in Reno there is a Winter Weather Advisory in place Monday through 7 a.m. on Christmas Day. Snow is expected with total snow accumulations of 1 to 6 inches, except 6 to 15 inches above 7,000 feet expected. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph over Sierra ridges.
Snow levels will start around 6,500-7,000 feet Monday afternoon, rapidly falling to below 5,500 feet behind a cold front Monday evening. Travel could be very difficult.
There will likely be periods of intense snowfall rates especially along the cold front during the afternoon and evening hours on Christmas Eve. If traveling to the Sierra, expect periods of extremely limited visibility for the afternoon and evening hours; travel will become hazardous. Remember to check road conditions from NDOT at nvroads.com or CalTrans at quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
Closer to home, the rain began falling around Carson City late Monday morning. There's a chance for snowfall in the Carson City region Monday night into Tuesday. Snow levels will fall behind the cold front to valley floors by early Christmas morning.
According to the National Weather Service, light snow amounts between a dusting to as much as 1.5 inches are expected for the valley floors in western Nevada, with snow amounts of up to 4 inches possible above 5,000 feet in western Nevada and along and east of US-395 in Mono County.
- Carson City
- 000
- Afternoon
- CA
- California
- carson
- Christmas
- City
- closed
- county
- day
- drivers
- Experience
- Fall
- Falling
- holiday
- home
- Hours
- Lake
- Morning
- National Weather Service
- NDOT
- Nevada
- News
- rain
- Rates
- reopening
- service
- Sierra
- Sierra-at-Tahoe
- Ski
- Snow
- south
- South Lake Tahoe
- tahoe
- travel
- weather
- weather service
- western
- Winter
- Lake Tahoe
- reno
- Traffic