Up to 3m of snow forecast due to ‘monster’ storm… Lake Tahoe Road is the worst
Approximately 20,000 residents suffered power outages… Heavy snow and rain are expected to continue until the 6th
As the winter storm that struck the Sierra Nevada region of northern California continued into the weekend, a 160km section of Interstate 80 connecting the western and eastern parts of the country was completely closed. All nearby ski resorts were also closed.
Due to the heavy snow, more than 20,000 households in California alone lost electricity, and the National Weather Service warned that as the heavy snow continues, the risk of avalanches will increase and casualties are expected.
The California Highway Patrol announced that the western and northern highways leading to Lake Tahoe are impassable due to too much snow on the entry and exit roads, and it is unknown when highway traffic will resume.
South Lake Tahoe’s highway patrol warned that chains are required on tires anywhere there are mountain roads, in addition to mountain roads that are closed to traffic.
This warning, published online, was accompanied by a photo of a huge truck stuck in the snow on a local road without any measures in place because its wheels were not chained.
The highway patrol warned through the
The National Weather Service bureau in Sacramento also issued a snow storm warning and announced that a heavy snow warning would remain in effect until midnight on the 3rd for areas above 1,980 meters above sea level. In this area, road traffic is restricted with warnings that another 60cm of heavy snow will fall in low-lying areas in the future.
Pacific Gas Power Company, a local power company in California, has begun emergency power restoration work, and only about 7,000 households are currently without power. NV Energy also announced that it had reduced the number of households without power in its jurisdiction to less than 1,000 households.
Kevin DePuy, a resident of Truckee near Lake Tahoe, told a reporter on the 3rd that although his snow blower was broken, he had given up on snow removal anyway because he had no place to store the snow he removed even if he used it.
He said the roads were so dangerous that he was heeding authorities’ warnings that residents and tourists alike should stay indoors.
Jenelle Potvin, another Truckee resident, said, “Some residents were cynical about the forecast of an approaching storm and the advisory to stay home and thought it was too much hype, but starting the night of the 1st, we actually had scary strong winds and heavy snow.”
Rudy Islas, who works at a coffee shop in Truckee, had to dig his car out of the snow for 40 minutes to get to work. However, he said that he and the customers of his coffee shop are so used to heavy snowfall that they do not feel any major restrictions on their lives.
This heavy snow continued for three days until Sunday the 3rd, and a serious scene occurred where neighbors were skiing on the road in front of their house.
The National Weather Service predicted that this heavy snowfall would turn into heavy snow or heavy rain again between the 4th and 6th. Some forecasters are concerned that if that happens, heavy snow and avalanches could be followed by flooding damage.
[트러키( 미 캘리포니아주)= AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.