Highway 58 between Mojave and Bakersfield was shut down Thursday after icy conditions caused multiple crashes, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Video shared by the agency shows the conditions on the roadway while an officer says the crashes were caused by “people driving too fast for the snowy conditions and the icy roadway.”
Motorists were asked to avoid the area and make alternate plans.
The closure comes as officials warned of blizzard conditions during a winter storm.
Between 2 and 5 feet of snow is expected, a figure that could even reach 7 feet above 4,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
Six to 12 inches is expected between 2,500 and 4,000 feet, and 1 to 6 inches is expected between 1,500 and 2,500 feet, the weather service said.
The storm is also bringing rain to the Southern California coasts and valleys, and strong winds are in the forecast for the mountains, foothills, coasts and valleys.
