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Severe weather storm potentially impacting or closing I-80 and US 50

Started by Techknow, February 28, 2018, 09:58:36 PM

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Techknow

It looks like tomorrow will bring a severe winter storm in the Sierras, which will bring a few feet of snow to Donner Summit and Echo Pass, potentially closing I-80 and US 50.

Here's Caltrans' press release about the storm.:

QuoteMARYSVILLE — Caltrans District 3 is alerting motorists to be prepared for extreme winter driving conditions tonight through Saturday evening as the biggest storm of the 2017-2018 winter season makes its way across Northern California.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning with three to seven feet of snow forecast for elevations above 3,500 feet. Snow accumulations of eight to 24 inches are predicted as low as 2,000 feet, including snow flurries as low as 1,200 feet. Significant rainfall will also occur in Valley areas, leading to risks of flooded roadways.

Donner and Echo Summit passes are expected to be severely impacted by this storm. Motorists who must travel on foothill and mountain highways, including Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 50, should expect chain controls and significant travel delays.  High winds are also expected, possibly creating white-out conditions of limited or zero visibility which may require holding traffic until conditions improve.

To assist motorists, Caltrans permitted and trained chain installers will be available on Interstate 80 and can be identified by a reflective sign with their bib number.

Some graphics from the NWS at https://www.weather.gov/sto/:


Max Rockatansky

I-80 was shut down earlier today due to a white out, looks like chain controls are in R3 at the moment.  US 50 and CA 88 are showing at R2 on the Caltrans QuickMap.  Looks like CA 180 east of Grant Grove finally shut down and it seems the Generals Highway might only be open to Giant Forest.   Interestingly there isn't any chain control zones showing for CA 190, 155, or 178.....guess storms weren't so bad down there.

gonealookin

It was the sort of storm we get three or four times in an average winter but it's been the only one in this dry winter.  The whiteout conditions, when I saw them, were due to high winds blowing the already-fallen moderate snow all over the place, not due to heavy snowfall.

A little bit of advice for inexperienced winter drivers:  In South Lake Tahoe, US 50 has a center left-turn lane for much of its length.  During storms, the plows send snow both to the right and left of the travel lanes, which creates a berm in that center lane.  Please don't try to make a left turn by plowing through there, even in your Jeep or Land Rover or whatever, because you wind up looking like an idiot and I'll be laughing at you (or cussing at you if part of your car is stuck out into my lane blocking traffic) as I drive by.  You have to go to the next intersection where the center is plowed and make a U-turn.

Eventually Caltrans comes along with a huge snowplow with a chute and an army of dump trucks, and they clear the center berm that way and haul that snow away to one of their storage sites.

Plutonic Panda

They store the snow? Do they accelerate the melting and do they use it for anything or just let it run off?

gonealookin

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on March 03, 2018, 12:48:51 AM
They store the snow? Do they accelerate the melting and do they use it for anything or just let it run off?

"Snow storage" is a place to dump the stuff and wait for it to melt.  There's a huge area at the southeast end of Sierra Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe which Caltrans uses for this purpose.  Last year, we had so much snow they even ran out of space there and were getting pretty desperate.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9172948,-119.979193,867m/data=!3m1!1e3

Plutonic Panda

Wow that is interesting. I mean it makes sense, I just never thought that much into it. I've read of some places in Alaska and Greenland where there are tall walls of snow that form on each side of the road during winters because of so much snow. Maybe they should create a snow tunnel LOL

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on March 03, 2018, 04:41:58 AM
Wow that is interesting. I mean it makes sense, I just never thought that much into it. I've read of some places in Alaska and Greenland where there are tall walls of snow that form on each side of the road during winters because of so much snow. Maybe they should create a snow tunnel LOL

Problem with the Sierras is that the weather doesn't stay cold.  Even at places as Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows the daytime temperature can be as high as 40F on average in the winter.  The snow melt essentially provides the bulk of water used for irrigation and hydroelectricity through the year. 



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