KTLA

Winter storm shuts down I-80 in Sierra, more snow on way

CHP shared this photo on Dec. 25, 2021, in announcing that the I-80 was closed from the Nevada state line to Colfax.

A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in the Sierra was closed Saturday when a powerful storm that dropped nearly 2 feet of snow on some ski resorts around Lake Tahoe overnight got its second wind.

A winter storm remains in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday at Lake Tahoe, where the National Weather Service said more snow is on its way — 1 to 2 feet more at lake level and up to another 3 feet (91 cm) at elevations above 7,000 feet where winds could gust in excess of 100 mph (160 kph).


I-80 connecting Reno to Sacramento was closed in both directions due to poor visibility from the Nevada-California state line to Colfax, California.

“The worst part of the storm is here so expect long delays,” the California Highway Patrol in Truckee tweeted Saturday afternoon.

The storm warning was set to expire at 10 p.m. Saturday in Reno-Sparks and Carson City.

Twenty inches (50 centimeters) of snow fell Friday night into Saturday at Homewood on Tahoe’s west shore. About a foot (30 cm) was reported at Northstar near Truckee, California and 10 inches (25 cm) at the Mount Rose ski resort on the southwest edge of Reno.