While it is the Christmas season, many people travel to see loved ones. While air travel is faster, some people prefer driving. If that is your situation, you may want to re-route your travel plans. Interstate 80 in California received over three feet of snow in three days! Truckee, California, near the Nevada line, received 24 inches in 24 hours on Christmas Day.
Amounts
Mount Shasta, along Interstate 5, received three feet. Along the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, the snow fell from 6 to 14 feet! The Lake Tahoe area received between 40 and 50 inches of snow. Most views were Christmas card perfect!
Additional snow is in the forecast at the beginning of the New Year.
Driving
Interstate 80 east of Sacramento requires chains. At different times, the roads were closed due to numerous spinouts. Interstate 5 in Northern California was closed due to heavy snowfall. More minor state roads, like US 50, have chain requirements or are closed. Roads were snow- covered under inches of snow. Plows could not keep up with the heavy fall. Meanwhile, travelers were wedged between piles of snow that reached the tops of their vehicle windows.
Afterwards
It is winter and more snow is expected. However, once the roads are cleared, the ski resorts and tubing hills will open. Residents will spend time shovelling their driveways to reach the streets. Most homes have peaked roofs. However, heavy snow can break branches and cause power outages.
Conclusion
When preparing a trip to California in the winter, one may think over the route and possibly take a southern route across I-4, or even I-10 to avoid snowy weather.
