An extremely cold storm system will be hitting California over the next few days with snow levels extremely low. For only the 2nd time ever a blizzard warning has been issued for Los Angeles County. Presumably we will be seeing some historic closures. Currently as of Wednesday night 58 is closed due to snow. 101 in Northern California was closed earlier in the day briefly, and I've noticed chains required in some unique places all day like 74 leaving the Coachella Valley and 49 near Oakdale. There are CMS signs saying I-40 is closed at Flagstaff even in Victorville which is funny to me because whenever 395 is closed the CMS never says it on 14. Let's keep track here of all the interesting closures and chain requirements!
According to my wife it snowed slightly on CA 180 in Fresno. The news seems to be backing her up that it wasn't soft hail:
https://abc30.com/snowy-weather-fresno-county-winter-storm-hail-falling/12863386/
You might want to double check your thread title, I don't recall a significant storm last February!
Anyway, I expect closures where there is snow in the Bay Area, at least on non-major highways. Back in 2018/2019, Mt. Hamilton saw snow and enough people were going there to see the snow that Caltrans closed CA 130 in Mt. Hamilton. Actually according to Caltrans, CA 130 is already closed to snow! I don't expect CA 17 to close, it's a major highway between San Jose, Santa Cruz and the mountain communities there.
There's a small chance that snow could fall on San Francisco, specifically on the highest peaks, Mt. Davidson and Twin Peaks (~940 ft and 922 ft elevation respectively.) There has not been snow in the city since the 70s so that's interesting to see if it will happen
I don't live in California, but did we go back in time?
Repost cause I messed the years up
From Last Night
An extremely cold storm system will be hitting California over the next few days with snow levels extremely low. For only the 2nd time ever a blizzard warning has been issued for Los Angeles County. Presumably we will be seeing some historic closures. Currently as of Wednesday night 58 is closed due to snow. 101 in Northern California was closed earlier in the day briefly, and I've noticed chains required in some unique places all day like 74 leaving the Coachella Valley and 49 near Oakdale. There are CMS signs saying I-40 is closed at Flagstaff even in Victorville which is funny to me because whenever 395 is closed the CMS never says it on 14. Let's keep track here of all the interesting closures and chain requirements! Forgot to mention I-15 was closed this morning at Baker and Primm due to ice at Mountain Pass, open now
Max R said: According to my wife it snowed slightly on CA 180 in Fresno. The news seems to be backing her up that it wasn't soft hail:
https://abc30.com/snowy-weather-fresno-county-winter-storm-hail-falling/12863386/
Techknow said: Anyway, I expect closures where there is snow in the Bay Area, at least on non-major highways. Back in 2018/2019, Mt. Hamilton saw snow and enough people were going there to see the snow that Caltrans closed CA 130 in Mt. Hamilton. Actually according to Caltrans, CA 130 is already closed to snow! I don't expect CA 17 to close, it's a major highway between San Jose, Santa Cruz and the mountain communities there.
There's a small chance that snow could fall on San Francisco, specifically on the highest peaks, Mt. Davidson and Twin Peaks (~940 ft and 922 ft elevation respectively.) There has not been snow in the city since the 70s so that's interesting to see if it will happen
Editing the thread title of the OP changes the official name of the thread.
I've got family in the Santa Cruz Mountains who sent me some pictures of snow at the summit of CA-17 this morning, although I don't think it closed at any point. Expecting it to be colder tonight!
It seems like I-80 is closed for a large distance, from Colfax all the way to Nevada state line due to "Zero visibility" - not a condition I seen before:
Quote[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA & SIERRA NEVADA]
IS CLOSED EASTBOUND TO ALL TRACTOR-SEMITRAILER COMBINATIONS AT APPLEGATE (PLACER CO) - DUE TO ZERO VISIBILITY - ALL TRACTOR-SEMITRAILER COMBINATIONS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
IS CLOSED FROM COLFAX (PLACER CO) TO THE NEVADA STATE LINE - DUE TO ZERO VISIBILITY - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
Thanks for fixing my title mistakes :pan: :wave:
80 being close for zero visibility is actually pretty common, I see right now 101 is closed from Willits to Leggett (very rare), as well as I-5 north of Redding (not common). Some once in a lifetime closures are 175 from Hopland to Lake County (I see snow on the webcams in the towns), as well as 128 out to the coast. Also 198 from the Central Valley to 101. Edit: Forgot to mention 29 closed as well
In Southern California 58 was closed last night and 330 was closed for a time.
A couple of years ago, I witnessed it snowing at the base of the Cajon Pass. I was travelling north on I-15 and there was very significant snow falling from the sky, although there was not very much accumulation. Maybe an inch. We travelled onto Las Vegas. There was also accumulation in the Mountainous area just south of the Nevada/California state line on I-15 also. There was a long backup at the state line, which I was baffled by because it was only Saturday. I later learned that there was backup because the road had been closed the previous night. When I came home on Sunday, there were also many people who stopped on the side of the road, and were playing in the snow
From the Caltrans Quickmap, it looks like they are potentially going to close a significant chunk of US 395, as far south as Pearsonville, not too far north of Ridgecrest.
Looks like I-5 over the Grapevine closed, as well as CA-58 through Tehachapi, but Cajon Pass on I-15 is open.
CA-17 over the summit in the Bay Area closed.
CA 17 closed over the Santa Cruz Mountains for snow. I don't recall, did that happen during the big storms during the winter of 2017?
IIRC in 2017 it was closed just around the summit. This time the closure is from Bear Creek Road to Granite Creek Road - over 11 miles.
In addition to the higher peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains which do see a little snow once or twice a year (Loma Prieta, Mt. Umunhum, etc. - around 3,500 feet), snow has accumulated as low as ~800 ft in the hills above Los Gatos, including Blossom Hill.
The 395 closure is currently from Pearsonville to Walker. In other words, All of Inyo County and most of Mono. Typical closure point is north of Bishop.
SR 178 is closed through Kern Canyon, which should come as a shock to nobody.
In the Northern Sierra, only 50 is open right now and that has been closing intermittently for visibility issues and avalanche work. I-80 has been closed from Colfax to Verdi (the normal extended duration closure points) since about 1 PM yesterday, 49 and 88 have been closed since yesterday afternoon. SR 70 is still closed from December's storms and SR 32 is closed between Chico and 36, blocking another potential alternate.
Down in SoCal, everything around Big Bear Lake has had the rare R3 chain controls since Wednesday night.
No notable closures on the Nevada side (yet), though SR 431 over Mount Rose Summit was closed part of yesterday due to a crash.
While it frequently snows at the top of the tram (technically a cable gondola) in Palm Springs, we actually got snow at the base station this week (https://kesq.com/news/2023/02/23/snow-falls-on-palm-springs-aerial-tramway-base-station-for-the-first-time-since-2018/). The base station is 2,643' ASL (about 800 meters).
Are there any reservoirs in the affected area this will help raise the level of, or is this storm just an annoyance?
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 24, 2023, 06:32:21 PM
Are there any reservoirs in the affected area this will help raise the level of, or is this storm just an annoyance?
A lot of them were already at or near capacity. Could lead to some downstream flooding if the spillways end up being used.
101 in Del Norte County (on the coast) was closed due to snow. https://twitter.com/CaltransDist1/status/1628912184574222336
I drove by over the summer and wondered why they had chain areas... now I know.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 24, 2023, 07:13:19 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on February 24, 2023, 06:32:21 PM
Are there any reservoirs in the affected area this will help raise the level of, or is this storm just an annoyance?
A lot of them were already at or near capacity. Could lead to some downstream flooding if the spillways end up being used.
In Central California, sure. Further north, it is definitely welcome insurance. For example, Lake Tahoe is still below its stated surface elevation and will need this set of storms to have a chance at hitting the maximum legal height. Oroville and Shasta are similar. This storm may have dropped enough further north to help Trinity, though I don't see that reservoir filling this year.
Quote from: skluth on February 24, 2023, 05:05:05 PM
While it frequently snows at the top of the tram (technically a cable gondola) in Palm Springs, we actually got snow at the base station this week (https://kesq.com/news/2023/02/23/snow-falls-on-palm-springs-aerial-tramway-base-station-for-the-first-time-since-2018/). The base station is 2,643' ASL (about 800 meters).
Drove through the Banning Pass yesterday and I've never seen the snowpack that low on the San Jacinto.
Quote from: cl94 on February 24, 2023, 02:19:47 PM
No notable closures on the Nevada side (yet), though SR 431 over Mount Rose Summit was closed part of yesterday due to a crash.
This morning, there were several closures in central Nevada due to abundant snowfall: US 6 (CA line to SR 360) and all of SR 360, SR 266 & SR 264.
These don't seem like common closures to me... All highways up around greater Reno/Tahoe were at least open with chain controls. I wonder if NDOT doesn't have the resources in central Nevada to get those highways cleared while dealing with everything else...?
Quote from: roadfro on February 25, 2023, 03:09:05 PM
Quote from: cl94 on February 24, 2023, 02:19:47 PM
No notable closures on the Nevada side (yet), though SR 431 over Mount Rose Summit was closed part of yesterday due to a crash.
This morning, there were several closures in central Nevada due to abundant snowfall: US 6 (CA line to SR 360) and all of SR 360, SR 266 & SR 264.
These don't seem like common closures to me... All highways up around greater Reno/Tahoe were at least open with chain controls. I wonder if NDOT doesn't have the resources in central Nevada to get those highways cleared while dealing with everything else...?
Lack of resources amplified by a staff shortage and crashes. 6 was open until crashes blocked it.
It also helps that the storm generally underperformed around Reno, moved out early, and was followed pretty quickly by temps well above freezing. It lingered down south. I'm honestly shocked at how quickly chain controls were dropped on the NV side of Tahoe compared to other recent storms; maybe District 2 has addressed some of its staff shortages? 50 had chain controls for several days after the little bit of snow that fell in early February.
Well, this will be fun: blizzard warning went up for the northern and eastern Sierra about an hour ago for Monday-Wednesday. 5-8 feet expected at some places near the crest, including passes. 2-3 feet in the populated areas of Truckee/Tahoe. Blue Canyon has the highest prediction (6-8 feet), so expect a nice long I-80 closure. Half a foot expected east of the Sierra in Carson/Reno/Susanville, though temps will be in the range where amounts can vary greatly.
Next storm is underway. SRs 20 and 49 never fully reopened north/east of Nevada City after the last storm, so those will probably stay closed until this one is over. Similarly, US 395 never reopened between Lee Vining and Bridgeport and, given how things have gone there this winter, it would not be shocking to see that remain closed until next weekend. SR 168 east of US 395 also never reopened.
I-80 was closed between Colfax and Verdi by 5:30 PM this evening, having been reopened for a day or two between storms. EB traffic is allowed east of Truckee, giving attendees of today's ski tournament at Palisades Tahoe a chance to escape to lower elevation. As I write this, SR 88 is closed at Carson Spur and US 50 EB has a hold due to multiple crashes, though WB remains open.
Down in SoCal, virtually every high-elevation state route north of I-10 remains closed on Sunday evening. 5 over Tejon Pass has been closed intermittently due to snow.
Lots of closures right now. In addition to the normal stuff, we have some weird ones. In the Sierra:
- US 50 closed between Pollock Pines and Meyers due to snow and avalanche risk. ETO unknown, this had been opening and closing all day but there have been many crashes. A jackknifed truck was stuck in the avalanche zone just east of Echo Summit this afternoon.
- SR 89 closed over Luther Pass
- SR 49 closed just south of Placerville
- SR 88 closed between Shake Ridge Road in Amador County and the NV line, including the 89 concurrency. Combination of heavy snow, avalanche issues on either side of Kirkwood, and stuck trucks.
- I-80 is closed between the truck chain check in Applegate and Verdi. Closure point moved back from Colfax after 80 was open overnight. Caltrans District 3 says it will likely open no earlier than Wednesday.
- US 395 closed from Bishop to Walker. Extension of the normal storm closure zone.
- SR 203 closed except within Mammoth Lakes
- SR 158 closed east of June Lake
- SRs 20/49 north/east of Nevada City never reopened, nor did SR 168 southeast of Bishop
Elsewhere in Northern CA, a ton of closures in Mendocino County, including parts of SRs 1 and 128 and the entirety of SR 253.
A large amount of US 6 is closed due to blizzard conditions. Bishop to NV SR 360. Several crashes, many involving trucks.
Seeing a lot more closures on the Nevada side today. The entire lengths of NV SRs 341 and 342 are closed due to blowing snow. SR 431 is closed over Mount Rose Summit and I-580/US 395 is closed between exits 16 and 24 (over the Galena Creek Bridge). A large segment of US 93 in northeastern Nevada was closed this morning and there is currently a closure on SR 229 east of Elko.
On the CA side, about half of SR 32 is closed, as are SRs 36/89 west of Chester. US 50 has been open intermittently; only real alternate right now is SR 44.
Quote from: cl94 on February 28, 2023, 03:52:50 PM
Seeing a lot more closures on the Nevada side today. The entire lengths of NV SRs 341 and 342 are closed due to blowing snow. SR 431 is closed over Mount Rose Summit and I-580/US 395 is closed between exits 16 and 24 (over the Galena Creek Bridge). A large segment of US 93 in northeastern Nevada was closed this morning and there is currently a closure on SR 229 east of Elko.
I was out last night and while headed home, I saw this chain sign (https://goo.gl/maps/VJf4EyK9LteNY78E9) on WB I-80 just past Keystone Ave (exit 12) flashing. I think I've seen that sign active once or twice in the last decade. Sure enough, when I got home, I saw that NDOT's 511 map was showing I-80 within the McCarran Loop in Reno/Sparks marked as chains/snow tires required last night–that's a fairly rare occurrence. And as I'm typing this, the map is showing those chain controls on again tonight.
It's going to be a nightmare up in the Tahoe basin this weekend. They are just starting to dig out from the blizzard, and as soon as I-80 and US-50 are open, people are going to be pouring in from the Bay Area thinking that they are going to be able to ski that fresh pow pow. Nobody I have spoken to down here has any clue just how serious the situation up there is right now. I tried to talk a coworker out of taking the drive up tomorrow with his family to ski Palisades, I ended up showing him pictures from last night's avalanche. Who knows if he's actually going to listen, but with more storms coming in this weekend, the people stuck up there is going to become a major news story.
Per people in the area who ski (I don't despite working next to a ski resort), the ski conditions aren't even that good right now. Not like you can get to the resorts with the lack of plowing on local roads.
50 was fully open this morning and, as of now, is the only fully open road across the Sierra. 80 is open EB, but WB still has a soft closure (you're not getting through from Verdi unless you're a local, but apparently can get on in Truckee). Next storm hits...Saturday around noon, so anyone who comes up to ski may end up stuck there.
88 and 89 are still closed south of Tahoe and around Emerald Bay, as is 431 on the Nevada side. I'll be up there tomorrow (work) and will be able to report on ground conditions, but I doubt anything other than 50 will be decent. Avalanches and drifting have been a major concern with this storm and that Palisades avalanche is far from the only one.
Maybe your friends want to be the subject of the Ice Road Tahoe video?
https://www.abc10.com/article/weather/nothern-california-storm-power-outages-sierra-i-80/103-32000ab5-30bd-4ae6-9421-075ad8cfa325
Here is an update yes this is related to snowfall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Up at Tahoe for work right now and I can say from experience that the roads are BAD. 50 in Nevada has a lot of washboarded ice/dense snow and only one lane is plowed. Both US 50 and SR 207 continue to have R2 chain controls and they are probably necessary. Side streets (such as the one my office is on) are mostly one lane and rutted with high walls of snow on either side.
For the love of god, don't go to the Sierra right now unless you have damn good reason to be here. Roads are crap, there's no parking, and most rec facilities haven't been plowed yet (nor will they be before the next storm on Saturday).
Continuing this into March...in addition to multiple segments of US 395 being closed, US 95 also now has a closure near Walker Lake north of Hawthorne, so access between Reno and Las Vegas requires swinging even further out into central Nevada.
https://twitter.com/nevadadotreno/status/1634262500509388800
I ended up stranded on Monterey due to flooding on CA 156 and CA 25 north of Hollister and US 101 near Gilroy. My company paid for another hotel stay for the night, although it was a hell of a time getting back through Prunedale. I'll reassess what routes are available tomorrow morning to get back to the Central Valley. My bail out option seems to be CA 46.
My fun on CA 156 this morning:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52739209381_63081366f6_4k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2omoext)IMG_0089 (https://flic.kr/p/2omoext) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Quote from: gonealookin on March 10, 2023, 02:11:22 PM
Continuing this into March...in addition to multiple segments of US 395 being closed, US 95 also now has a closure near Walker Lake north of Hawthorne, so access between Reno and Las Vegas requires swinging even further out into central Nevada.
https://twitter.com/nevadadotreno/status/1634262500509388800
Yet another example showing why we need an interstate connection from Reno to Las Vegas to Phoenix. I-11's complete route is long overdue.
Because some miniscule segment of US 95 in the middle of the Great Basin Desert had a minor problem that could also easily happen to an Interstate? Tell me, how often does the likes of Interstate 70 close in Glenwood Canyon compared to anything along US 95 in the Great Basin?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 10:50:35 PM
Because some miniscule segment of US 95 in the middle of the Great Basin Desert had a minor problem that could also easily happen to an Interstate? Tell me, how often does the likes of Interstate 70 close in Glenwood Canyon compared to anything along US 95 in the Great Basin?
They'd never build an interstate on the west side of the lake like that, where the cliffs would have to come right down to the edge of the road. This isn't Glenwood Canyon; there are alternate routes they could take.
Quote from: pderocco on March 10, 2023, 11:38:46 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 10:50:35 PM
Because some miniscule segment of US 95 in the middle of the Great Basin Desert had a minor problem that could also easily happen to an Interstate? Tell me, how often does the likes of Interstate 70 close in Glenwood Canyon compared to anything along US 95 in the Great Basin?
They'd never build an interstate on the west side of the lake like that, where the cliffs would have to come right down to the edge of the road. This isn't Glenwood Canyon; there are alternate routes they could take.
Yes, the west shore of Walker Lake is known for being slide prone in wet weather. That said, the fact we have so many on this forum who seriously think I-11 is needed north of Las Vegas is vexing to me. AADTs and actual critique from US 95 corridor users seems to be something that doesn't resonate with anyone. I'm really trying to understand the rationale but it's only one of several things with I-11 that don't make much logical sense.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 11:44:16 PM
Quote from: pderocco on March 10, 2023, 11:38:46 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 10:50:35 PM
Because some miniscule segment of US 95 in the middle of the Great Basin Desert had a minor problem that could also easily happen to an Interstate? Tell me, how often does the likes of Interstate 70 close in Glenwood Canyon compared to anything along US 95 in the Great Basin?
They'd never build an interstate on the west side of the lake like that, where the cliffs would have to come right down to the edge of the road. This isn't Glenwood Canyon; there are alternate routes they could take.
Yes, the west shore of Walker Lake is known for being slide prone in wet weather. That said, the fact we have so many on this forum who seriously think I-11 is needed north of Las Vegas is vexing to me. AADTs and actual critique from US 95 corridor users seems to be something that doesn't resonate with anyone. I'm really trying to understand the rationale but it's only one of several things with I-11 that don't make much logical sense.
That region in general is very slide prone. But unlike many parts of the west, there are two excellent detours in the form of NV 361 and NV 376. For through traffic between Fallon and Tonopah, US 50 to NV 361 has a nearly-identical travel time. Any I-11 alignment would likely have a slide-prone location and the slide issue along US 95 could be remedied at
much lower cost than building a full freeway. If NDOT was that concerned, they'd build a reroute just in that area.
I don't see people claiming the slides US 395 has been plagued with this year mean that needs an Interstate corridor, and those have been far more disruptive than the Walker Lake stuff. US 395 has had multiple extended closures in Mono County this winter due to slides and there is no good alternate that is remotely local.
In other news, NV SR 431 has been blocked near Mount Rose Summit by a large avalanche. No ETO at this time.
This warm and wet storm is causing issues much further inland, too. US 189 is going to be closed for at least a day between Provo and Heber City, Utah after a huge avalanche in Provo Canyon buried the road under 10-15 feet of high density snow.
https://twitter.com/uthighwaypatrol/status/1634368828024188928
Oh, and just now seeing that US 40 is closed over Daniels Pass due to an avalanche on the highway. Avalanches have happened many times before on 189, but I have never heard of avalanche issues on that part of 40.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 11:44:16 PM
Yes, the west shore of Walker Lake is known for being slide prone in wet weather. That said, the fact we have so many on this forum who seriously think I-11 is needed north of Las Vegas is vexing to me. AADTs and actual critique from US 95 corridor users seems to be something that doesn't resonate with anyone. I'm really trying to understand the rationale but it's only one of several things with I-11 that don't make much logical sense.
I entirely agree. I think US-95 will evolve the way US-395 has, fourlaning it little by little as traffic demands, building the occasional bypass, etc. Maybe 40 years from now, a freeway will be warranted. Or maybe we'll have flying cars before then...
Quote from: pderocco on March 13, 2023, 02:54:24 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 10, 2023, 11:44:16 PM
Yes, the west shore of Walker Lake is known for being slide prone in wet weather. That said, the fact we have so many on this forum who seriously think I-11 is needed north of Las Vegas is vexing to me. AADTs and actual critique from US 95 corridor users seems to be something that doesn't resonate with anyone. I'm really trying to understand the rationale but it's only one of several things with I-11 that don't make much logical sense.
I entirely agree. I think US-95 will evolve the way US-395 has, fourlaning it little by little as traffic demands, building the occasional bypass, etc. Maybe 40 years from now, a freeway will be warranted. Or maybe we'll have flying cars before then...
Even the official I-11 reports acknowledge that's the most likely outcome. NDOT isn't hiding that I-11 won't be built anytime soon unless the feds front 100% of the cost. No use in building it without demand and they are actively doing spot improvements where necessary.
Short- to medium-term, I could maybe see a more official Yerington bypass to replace the unofficial one along farm roads (key being that unofficial bypasses here and near Silver Springs already exist), but beyond that? Hawthorne already has a bypass and Tonopah's entire economy is based on US 95 through traffic. You can't bypass Tonopah without a ton of land taking or going well to the west, neither of which would fly unless traffic counts dramatically increase.
A sinkhole closed CA-78 westbound in Oceanside on Wednesday, and it won't be open until Sunday. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/sr-78-closure-will-extend-until-monday-due-to-sinkhole-repairs-caltrans/3189762/
https://twitter.com/SDCaltrans/status/1636836451815161857
I just came back from a trip to the Eastern Sierra. My plans to visit Mono Lake and Panum Crater did not pan out. US-395 was closed at Lee Vining and the parking lot to Mono Lake was buried under snow. I was able to walk a little bit towards the lake and at least got some photos. Looks like it froze over. I've only been to Mono Lake in the summer so I'm not sure how commonly that happens.
On the other hand, Panum Crater was a disaster. CA-120 was absolutely buried under tons of snow, to the point the highway was closed about a mile from US-395. Theoretically with snowshoes I might have been able to walk the 4+ miles to the crater, but simply was not worth it. The best I could do was take a short walk on the highway and get some photographs of the crater.
US-395 was insane north of Bishop. Drove it yesterday and the moment I hit the 6,000' level, heavy snow started falling. On the way back, the entire road was covered in snow. I did an Alaska trip back in January and the snowfall was rivaling that.
And yet somehow I didn't think to go there to snowboard.
Quote from: Quillz on March 20, 2023, 04:28:01 PM
I just came back from a trip to the Eastern Sierra. My plans to visit Mono Lake and Panum Crater did not pan out. US-395 was closed at Lee Vining and the parking lot to Mono Lake was buried under snow. I was able to walk a little bit towards the lake and at least got some photos. Looks like it froze over. I've only been to Mono Lake in the summer so I'm not sure how commonly that happens.
On the other hand, Panum Crater was a disaster. CA-120 was absolutely buried under tons of snow, to the point the highway was closed about a mile from US-395. Theoretically with snowshoes I might have been able to walk the 4+ miles to the crater, but simply was not worth it. The best I could do was take a short walk on the highway and get some photographs of the crater.
US-395 was insane north of Bishop. Drove it yesterday and the moment I hit the 6,000' level, heavy snow started falling. On the way back, the entire road was covered in snow. I did an Alaska trip back in January and the snowfall was rivaling that.
And yet somehow I didn't think to go there to snowboard.
SR 120 between US 395 and Benton Crossing Road is in winter closure. Nobody lives along it and the only business is that quarry a mile east of 395, so they just plow to the quarry and don't bother with the rest. It tops out over 8,000 feet, so even on the dry side of the mountain it gets a decent amount of snow. Usually reopens April-May, though who knows with how this year has been.
395 north of Lee Vining has been closed for over 3 weeks due to a series of avalanches and rockslides. Going to be at least another week or two until they can get that thing open in any capacity, and that's assuming the storm hitting tomorrow doesn't cause more damage.
https://twitter.com/Caltrans9/status/1631446815546679296
https://twitter.com/Caltrans9/status/1635713109255163905
The always-treacherous stretch of CA 89 around Emerald Bay has been closed far more than not this winter, and I believe it has been closed continuously since around February 20. Caltrans continues to struggle with it.
https://twitter.com/CaltransDist3/status/1638680013594853377
The effects of this winter are going to be with is for a long time. The snowpack in the Southern Sierra is so deep that they are already beginning large releases from the reservoirs in the San Joaquin River watershed. This is relevant because there is likely to be extensive flooding through at least June, and that is probably going to result in numerous road closures and washouts throughout the Central Valley. The snow in the mountains is so deep that many of the typically "closed for winter" roads are unlikely to be open before June, possibly July as well.
A couple of us are anxiously awaiting the return of Tulare Lake. It certainly will spur me to revisit places like Kettleman City, Alpaugh and Corcoran.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 24, 2023, 02:57:17 PM
A couple of us are anxiously awaiting the return of Tulare Lake. It certainly will spur me to revisit places like Kettleman City, Alpaugh and Corcoran.
I have been reading about the water wars already happening, between people trying to manage flood control and farmers trying to keep their fields from being flooded. https://sjvwater.org/boswell-poso-creek-stand-off-continues-as-flood-waters-build/ Mother Nature always gets the upper-hand eventually.
Quote from: jdbx on March 24, 2023, 03:30:17 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 24, 2023, 02:57:17 PM
A couple of us are anxiously awaiting the return of Tulare Lake. It certainly will spur me to revisit places like Kettleman City, Alpaugh and Corcoran.
I have been reading about the water wars already happening, between people trying to manage flood control and farmers trying to keep their fields from being flooded. https://sjvwater.org/boswell-poso-creek-stand-off-continues-as-flood-waters-build/ Mother Nature always gets the upper-hand eventually.
The local media has had a hard time trying to spin this story around Fresno. The narrative has been mostly about the potential loss man hours and damage to the cotton fields at the Tulare Lake bed. You can definitely tell there is economic factors at hand keeping certain parts of the story at bay, or at least toned down.
While I don't think anyone looks at the loss of income for a ton of Ag workers as anything good. All the same it really has become apparent JG Boswell wasn't prepared for the possibility Tulare Lake would ever refill (which is basically a 100 year flood event). This isn't a battle they are not likely to win, the water is coming and won't stop for months given the depth of the snow pack. I think it's more a question of how much Tulare Lake is going to fill up now.
How this all ties back to highways in a big way is with the flooding of CA 43 south of Corcoran along the Tule River.
On the way back home from the Eastern Sierra, I saw what appeared to be actual water on Owens Lake. Not like the little puddles that have to be legally maintained, I'm talking like an actual significant amount of water. I figure it won't last very long, but was a good way to illustrate the snowfall.
On the plus side, flooding in Tulare Lake will help replenish the ground water. Unfortunately, Central Valley farmers have used so much ground water that it would take several winters like this to truly make a difference.
Quote from: Quillz on March 24, 2023, 04:21:54 PM
On the way back home from the Eastern Sierra, I saw what appeared to be actual water on Owens Lake. Not like the little puddles that have to be legally maintained, I'm talking like an actual significant amount of water. I figure it won't last very long, but was a good way to illustrate the snowfall.
LA Times had an article about the Aqueduct being damaged by the recent weather: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-03-25/eastern-sierra-flooding-threatens-los-angeles-water-lifeline
Quote from: skluth on March 27, 2023, 11:21:24 AM
On the plus side, flooding in Tulare Lake will help replenish the ground water. Unfortunately, Central Valley farmers have used so much ground water that it would take several winters like this to truly make a difference.
I sure wish Turlare Lake will be permanently restored (of course that's never going to happen since the lake bed has became farmland). Having a body of water in the area will definitely help with summer temperatures and probably improve the air quality around it.
Quote from: SeriesE on March 27, 2023, 12:00:09 PM
Quote from: skluth on March 27, 2023, 11:21:24 AM
On the plus side, flooding in Tulare Lake will help replenish the ground water. Unfortunately, Central Valley farmers have used so much ground water that it would take several winters like this to truly make a difference.
I sure wish Turlare Lake will be permanently restored (of course that's never going to happen since the lake bed has became farmland). Having a body of water in the area will definitely help with summer temperatures and probably improve the air quality around it.
I'm looking forward to the regulating effects this year, especially after hot it was last summer. In fact I think Fresno has only topped 70F once this year.
Quote from: ClassicHasClass on March 27, 2023, 11:40:32 AM
LA Times had an article about the Aqueduct being damaged by the recent weather: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-03-25/eastern-sierra-flooding-threatens-los-angeles-water-lifeline
I was wondering why 136 had been closed.
I also wonder if this will affect the Olancha/Cartago bypass project, since that crosses the aqueduct in that area.
CA 137 east of Corcoran was reopened by the HSR due to the Tule River floods on CA 43. CA 137 was slated to be closed for much of the year:
https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/local-news/high-speed-rail-collaborates-with-kings-county-leaders-to-open-crucial-access-road/
Instead, CA 43 will likely be closed for much of the year.
The ongoing AR might be the last big winter storm for most of CA/NV. Storm tracks for April are generally favoring OR/WA, which should help their water issues.
https://abc7news.com/water-line-break-landslide-benicia-usage-reductions/13049388/
Update there is a landslide risk near I-680 in Benicia.
The Emerald Bay segment of CA 89 has been reopened after a closure of about 1-1/2 months due to damage from snow slides.
https://twitter.com/CaltransDist3/status/1643371740092051456
Nature always wins.