Ryan Malhoski walks Baxter as snow falls in South Lake Tahoe during a fast-moving storm on Saturday.
Maggie Creamer/The Chronicle
Baxter runs along a South Lake Tahoe road as snow falls during an intense storm on Saturday.
Maggie Creamer/The Chronicle
A South Lake Tahoe road is covered with snow as the area falls under a winter storm warning on Saturday.
Maggie Creamer/The Chronicle
An “intense and quick-moving” snowstorm struck portions of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades on Saturday, with weather officials warning travelers to avoid mountain travel through Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the particularly conditions expected to pelt the mountain areas of the Sierra Nevada with up to 2 feet of snow at its highest peaks.
“It’ll become very difficult for Caltrans or any of the highway departments to clear the roads,” said Jeffrey Wood, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “And with that heavy snowfall rate, you can experience near-whiteout conditions.”
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Heavy snowfall accumulations were expected in Mount Shasta City, Dunsmuir, Donner Pass and Truckee, according to forecasts from the National Weather Service. Donner Summit should accumulate up to 2 feet of snow.
Baxter runs along a South Lake Tahoe road as snow falls during a fast-moving storm on Saturday.Maggie Creamer The Chronicle
The heaviest of the snow pelts were felt Saturday morning into the afternoon, Wood said. Snowfall rates could reach up to 2 inches per hour.
“Typical snowstorms (are) a half an inch or an inch per hour,” Wood said. “Anytime we start to see snowfall rates greater than an inch is when we start seeing the real impactful conditions, particularly on roadways.”
Blizzard-like conditions were possible along Interstate 80 continuing into the evening. Gusty winds of up to 50 mph could snap tree limbs, cause power outages and lead to whiteout conditions. The California Highway Patrol enacted chain requirements for vehicles on I-80 over Donner Summit from Truckee to Eagle Lake late Saturday morning and reported spinouts and collisions by the afternoon.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Authorities shut down a portion of westbound I-80 in Truckee for just under two hours Saturday afternoon after multiple cars spun out on the road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officials from Truckee Meadows Fires and Rescue said they had responded to several motor vehicle accidents on the road by Saturday night. The agency warned residents not to travel unless necessary due to the heavy snow conditions.
“SLOW DOWN!! ,” CHP Truckee posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The California Highway Patrol’s Truckee office reported spinouts and collisions on Interstate 80 at Donner Summit during Saturday’s winter storm.
California Highway Patrol
Tahoe Daily Snow, which provides forecasting and measurements, reported accumulations of 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour in the upper mountains, with about 9 inches accumulated around 2 p.m. Saturday.
For those who need to travel, weather officials urge motorists to winterize their vehicles, prepare an emergency kit with warm clothes, food and water, and slow down on their routes.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
The storm system also brought rain and gusty winds to the Bay Area on Saturday. Highs were barely in the 50s in San Francisco, where residents popped out their umbrellas during a heavy afternoon shower.
Heavy rain falls on a pedestrian crossing Fulton Street in San Francisco on Saturday.
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
A dusting of snow was possible by Sunday in Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara County, the Bay Area’s tallest peak at about 4,200 feet. The valleys of the North, East and South Bay were expected to be near freezing by Sunday morning.
Warren Pederson and Megan Fan Munce contributed to this report.
Advertisement
Article continues below this ad
