Snowstorm highway conditions this week

[FredAkbar]

I'm planning to drive from the Bay Area to Vegas this Thursday morning, via the usual route of 5/99->58->15.

There seems to be a heavy snowstorm affecting some areas of high elevation this week. I'm most concerned about the Tehachapi area on CA-58. There is some precedent: I see a thread from two years ago discussing 58 and other closures during a snowstorm. I don't see anything on the current CalTrans quickmap.

Some current news articles suggest there could be similar severe conditions this week, though the emphasis seems to be on now through Wednesday. I'd probably be passing through on Thursday around 10am. The weather conditions still seem freezing-ish and potentially snowy at that time. Am I right to think it might not be an easy drive (assume we're in a sedan and don't want to have to deal with chains/snow tires)? Or do the warnings in this case apply more to higher-elevation roads (the summit on CA-58 is 3,771 ft)?

Are there alternate routes that would be easier? 5->138 is possible, but that requires going over the Grapevine which might be just as bad.

[Max Rockatansky]

As of right now 2.2 inches of snow are forecasted for Tehachapi this Thursday.  Tejon Pass will probably have similar conditions the same day.  That's not a lot of snow but I would expect R1 chain controls at minimum to be in effect for much of the day. 

[gonealookin]

In weather situations like that I don't think Caltrans puts up R-2 chain requirements on either I-5 or SR 58; they just go straight from "Road Open" to "Road Closed", and wait until the weather clears and they can get the highway free of ice and snow.

I would be prepared for "passing through on Thursday around 10am" to change to "passing through on Thursday around 5pm".  Have some food in the car, warm clothes, something to watch a couple movies on and just wait in line until the road reopens, hopefully sooner rather than later.

I doubt there would be a practical alternate route.  US 101 to LA --> I-10 --> CA 62 --> US 95 should be open but would add at least 5 hours to the trip.  The other possibility, I-80 to Reno and then working your day down through Nevada, is likely to have chain requirements most of the week, which you say you'd prefer to avoid.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never tested this myself but I wonder if Tehachapi-Woodford Road (old US 466) gets closed in storms like this.  We ended the Bakersfield Meet at the Tehachapi Loop in 2024 minutes before a similar storm rolled in.  It wasn't much of a hassle for everyone to go east to Tehachapi or even for me to head back to Bakersfield.

[FredAkbar]

Thanks! Turns out my car does have "snow tires" per the latest CalTrans definition which is simply the M+S noted on the tire sidewall; is that the correct understanding? So simply having those tires, plus carrying chains (and hopefully not needing to use them) would satisfy R-1?

[FredAkbar]

US 101 to LA --> I-10 --> CA 62 --> US 95 should be open but would add at least 5 hours to the trip.

Why not 101 -> 134 -> 210 -> 15? That looks like only a couple hours longer. Or do we expect Cajon Pass (or Mountain Pass?) to have similar weather issues?

[Max Rockatansky]

US 101 to LA --> I-10 --> CA 62 --> US 95 should be open but would add at least 5 hours to the trip.

Why not 101 -> 134 -> 210 -> 15? That looks like only a couple hours longer. Or do we expect Cajon Pass (or Mountain Pass?) to have similar weather issues?

About .2 inches of rain in the forecast for Hesperia on Thursday.  Outside of something unexpected it shouldn't snow.  The forecast is showing similar conditions for Lancaster if you wanted to take 14 instead.

[gonealookin]

US 101 to LA --> I-10 --> CA 62 --> US 95 should be open but would add at least 5 hours to the trip.

Why not 101 -> 134 -> 210 -> 15? That looks like only a couple hours longer. Or do we expect Cajon Pass (or Mountain Pass?) to have similar weather issues?

About .2 inches of rain in the forecast for Hesperia on Thursday.  Outside of something unexpected it shouldn't snow.  The forecast is showing similar conditions for Lancaster if you wanted to take 14 instead.

I was thinking that if SR 58 and I-5 were closed, I-15 would likely have a closure at Cajon Pass as well.  That is further out into the desert, though, so if it's open, sure.  CA 62 --> US 95 is the first route that would definitely be open.

If it's raining in the LA area, getting from Thousand Oaks on US 101 over to San Bernandino could be a brutal hours-long slog, which I why I thought waiting in line for SR 58 to reopen is a better idea.  Taking 14 back up to 58 could minimize the LA issues.  Anyway, closures on I-5 and SR 58 are never that long because neither reaches a high-enough altitude for frozen precipitation lasting more than a few hours, and as it gets into the afternoon, morning slushy snow is likely to go back over to rain.

[gonealookin]

Thanks! Turns out my car does have "snow tires" per the latest CalTrans definition which is simply the M+S noted on the tire sidewall; is that the correct understanding? So simply having those tires, plus carrying chains (and hopefully not needing to use them) would satisfy R-1?

It would satisfy R-1, but in California you don't see R-1 requirements on freeways and other major highways (locally, US 50 over Echo Summit is that level of "major highway").  Caltrans goes directly to R-2 on those roads.

Highways with less traffic do see R-1.  For example, right now on US 395, there are chain requirements from 17 miles north of Bishop to 14 miles south of the Nevada state line, much of it R-1 but with a segment of R-2 in the middle:

US 395

[IN THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AREA]
Chains or snow tires are required from 17 mi north of Bishop to 4.5 mi north of the Jct of SR 203 (Mono Co)

Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from 8 mi north of the Jct of SR 203 to 1.5 mi south of Bridgeport (Mono Co)

Chains or snow tires are required from the north end of Bridgeport (Mono Co)to 14 mi south of the Nevada State Line

[FredAkbar]

It seems like the main difference between R-1 and R-2 is that with R-2 your life is easier with an AWD as you don't have to put on the chains (only carry them). With R-1 you can do that with just a 2WD. As long as you have the M+S tires.

But did you not contradict yourself? Would CA-58 more likely be R-1 or R-2 (assuming it's open at all)?

In weather situations like that I don't think Caltrans puts up R-2 chain requirements on either I-5 or SR 58; they just go straight from "Road Open" to "Road Closed"

in California you don't see R-1 requirements on freeways and other major highways (locally, US 50 over Echo Summit is that level of "major highway").  Caltrans goes directly to R-2 on those roads.

[gonealookin]

If Caltrans put up any restriction on SR 58 I'd expect it to be R-2, because I don't think they use R-1 on any heavily-traveled road in mountainous terrain.  But, more likely, instead of doing R-2 they just close that highway down until the snow stops.  That's definitely the way it's done on the I-5 segment of the Grapevine, and if the Grapevine is closed but SR 58 is open, there's a shitload of extra traffic diverting to SR 58.

"M+S" tires are a compromise at best.  They are only meant to be used as "snow tires" in places where it rarely snows, and then not heavily.  When you're dealing with snow all winter, you want to be on ice and snow tires that are specifically designed for that purpose.  They have the mountain/snowflake symbol on the sidewall.  In addition to the aggressive tread they use a softer rubber compound that remains flexible in cold temperatures.  So they don't have a very long life.  I usually get maybe 20K miles out of a set of winters, either the Bridgestone Blizzaks or the Michelin X-Ice which I currently have on the AWD RAV4.  But, I only drive about 3K-4K miles during an average Nov. 1-early April period, so they last 5 or 6 winters, because they are mounted on separate rims and sit in the garage the rest of the year when I do most of my driving on all-season tires.

[pderocco]

I've never tested this myself but I wonder if Tehachapi-Woodford Road (old US 466) gets closed in storms like this.  We ended the Bakersfield Meet at the Tehachapi Loop in 2024 minutes before a similar storm rolled in.  It wasn't much of a hassle for everyone to go east to Tehachapi or even for me to head back to Bakersfield.

That's not a road I'd like to be on in slippery conditions. There are lots of cliffs with no guardrails.

[pderocco]

I doubt there would be a practical alternate route.  US 101 to LA --> I-10 --> CA 62 --> US 95 should be open but would add at least 5 hours to the trip.

That could perhaps be improved by taking Amboy Rd and Kelbaker Rd to get up to I-40. But it would still be a very long ride in the rain. That's one of those rare situations in which I'd rather fly, and rent a car if I need one.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've never tested this myself but I wonder if Tehachapi-Woodford Road (old US 466) gets closed in storms like this.  We ended the Bakersfield Meet at the Tehachapi Loop in 2024 minutes before a similar storm rolled in.  It wasn't much of a hassle for everyone to go east to Tehachapi or even for me to head back to Bakersfield.

That's not a road I'd like to be on in slippery conditions. There are lots of cliffs with no guardrails.

We ended up on it after it got really slick. Fortunately at lower elevations it was just heavy rain rather than slushy snow.  Some of the folks heading east hit snow around Tehachapi Pass.

[FredAkbar]

Renamed the thread to make it more generally about the snowstorm and the affected highway conditions.

I've been checking the CalTrans road conditions site and noticed I-80 and US-50 over the Sierras seem to be closed completely. Guessing they will open and close intermittently as they clear the snow. Pretty heavy chain conditions on northern I-5 (Redding/Shasta area) as well. That's probably par for the course.

I noticed they sometimes just prepend a new status on top of the old status, leading to contradictory text such as (US-50):

Is closed from Pointview Dr /in Placerville to Meyers (El Dorado Co) - due to spinouts - Motorists are advised to use an alternate route

Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from 9 mi east of Placerville to Meyers (El Dorado Co)

So far so good for CA-58 and the Grapevine. Hopefully the snow there stays light. I do see a closure near Tehachapi on the CalTrans quickmap but it's "Tehachapi Willow Springs Rd / Highline Rd". If you click on the icon you can see the detailed notes, including "59-1 REQG TO HAVE CO RDS START CLOSING TWS - STARTING TO SNOW" and "59-1 SPOKE WITH CO ROADS WILL KEEP TWS CLOSED AND RECHECK TOMMOROW".

[gonealookin]

Renamed the thread to make it more generally about the snowstorm and the affected highway conditions.

I've been checking the CalTrans road conditions site and noticed I-80 and US-50 over the Sierras seem to be closed completely.

I noticed they sometimes just prepend a new status on top of the old status, leading to contradictory text such as (US-50):

Is closed from Pointview Dr /in Placerville to Meyers (El Dorado Co) - due to spinouts - Motorists are advised to use an alternate route

Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all 4 wheels from 9 mi east of Placerville to Meyers (El Dorado Co)

It means US 50 is technically open but they've had to stop traffic temporarily to send tow trucks to help the people who got themselves stuck.

This is why the major highways like I-5 Grapevine and SR 58 Tehachapi Pass don't see chain restrictions posted, instead going from "Road Open" to "Road Closed".  If they left those highways open with chain restrictions they would have a bigger mess because of all the crashes.  Preemptively closing them eliminates that problem and gets the road open sooner, namely as soon as they can plow the highway after the snow switches back over to rain.

I have 10 inches of snow on my deck since last night (at 6500').  Pass levels get quite a bit more.  There's quite a bit more to come the rest of today and tonight.

[pderocco]

As Fred mentioned, the CalTrans QuickMap shows a closure in Tehachapi, but not on a state highway. I also see closures on Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Cerro Noroeste, the roads that connect I-5 over to CA-33/CA-166. Does anyone have any ideas why these would show up on the QuickMap site?

[gonealookin]

As Fred mentioned, the CalTrans QuickMap shows a closure in Tehachapi, but not on a state highway. I also see closures on Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Cerro Noroeste, the roads that connect I-5 over to CA-33/CA-166. Does anyone have any ideas why these would show up on the QuickMap site?

I think it's that the county requests assistance from the California Highway Patrol for situations on county roads, whether it's enforcing a closure or dealing with a crash.  So those are labeled "CHP Incidents" on QuickMap.

I've had 15 inches of snow from about 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, 25 inches total since last night, so whether roads are officially closed or just blocked due to wrecks, nothing much is moving around Tahoe today.

[FredAkbar]

I think it's that the county requests assistance from the California Highway Patrol for situations on county roads, whether it's enforcing a closure or dealing with a crash.  So those are labeled "CHP Incidents" on QuickMap.

That checks out; one of the (now deleted) notes near CA-58 was someone that hit a pothole and got a flat tire.

Regarding Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, the marker on the QuickMap looks like it's next to CA-58, but that's only because that's where they are placing the road closed signs. The road travels far to the south over a mountain pass of its own, so I imagine that is snowed in. As expected, there's a Gribblenation blog post + forum thread about this road.

[pderocco]

I think it's that the county requests assistance from the California Highway Patrol for situations on county roads, whether it's enforcing a closure or dealing with a crash.  So those are labeled "CHP Incidents" on QuickMap.

That checks out; one of the (now deleted) notes near CA-58 was someone that hit a pothole and got a flat tire.

Regarding Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, the marker on the QuickMap looks like it's next to CA-58, but that's only because that's where they are placing the road closed signs. The road travels far to the south over a mountain pass of its own, so I imagine that is snowed in. As expected, there's a Gribblenation blog post + forum thread about this road.

Yes, I've encountered snow before on TWS Rd, when it was just raining in Tehachapi.

This storm, we've sure got a lot of rain in the San Diego area. My pool's getting close to the brim.

[FredAkbar]

It seems like the statuses on the CalTrans Highway Conditions page aren't kept super up to date. For example, as of this writing, I-15 is listed as being closed southbound near Mountain Pass due to snow. However, based on news reports and Google maps, it seems to have reopened almost an hour ago, around 8am. Is the QuickMap more realtime? It correctly isn't showing any closure, but I didn't check it earlier in the morning.

edit 9:30am: the Highway Conditions page now reports no restrictions. So it's maybe 1-2 hours delayed.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not a highway thing per se but I can see snow atop the Diablo Range above Coalinga out my office window.  The Parkfield Grade definitely got hit and maybe 198 atop Warthan Canyon also.

[heynow415]

As Fred mentioned, the CalTrans QuickMap shows a closure in Tehachapi, but not on a state highway. I also see closures on Frazier Mountain Park Rd, Cuddy Valley Rd, Mil Potrero Hwy, and Cerro Noroeste, the roads that connect I-5 over to CA-33/CA-166. Does anyone have any ideas why these would show up on the QuickMap site?

For unincorporated areas (outside city limits) CHP does traffic enforcement in most counties so things show up in CHP logs that are not on State highways; they are the ones investigating and generating a collision report, even on a residential street.  The County Sheriff can do (and does) traffic enforcement but that's typically not one of their core roles.

[bing101]

https://apnews.com/article/california-avalanche-backcountry-skiers-rescue-missing-f7b4a89c38af634e39a152a874db17f0?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2026-02-18-Deadly+avalanche

Here's more on the avalanche that hit the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

[gonealookin]

The closure of I-80 over Donner Summit was about 24 hours, 11 a.m. Tuesday to 11 a.m. Wednesday.

US 395 was closed from the bottom of Sherwin Grade, not far north of Bishop, to Bridgeport.  It's been reopened as far north as the June Lake turnoff (SR 158), but from there through Lee Vining and over Conway Summit to Bridgeport, it's still closed.

Caltrans District 9
@Caltrans9
·
1h
UPDATE AND CORRECTION:
U.S. 395 is CLOSED 🔴 from one mile north of Mammoth Lakes to the south State Road 158 Junction. The highway is OPEN 🟢from south State Route 158 Junction to Bridgeport. (Junction 182)