Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Tahoe Snow So Deep That Sheriff Says 'Stay Home'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 16, 2019

Share

Skiers eager to hit the slopes had to sit out a Presidents’ Day holiday weekend as heavy snow and rain fell for a fourth straight day Friday in California’s mountains, where the snow was so deep in some areas plows couldn’t go out and cities were running out of places to pile it.
Several routes to the ski mecca of Lake Tahoe were closed Friday, including about 70 miles of Interstate 80 from Colfax, California, to the Nevada state line. Chains were required for travel in many other parts of the towering range.
“They have ordered up a large blower to try and clear the pass,” Placer County Sheriff Lt. Andrew Scott said in a tweet he posted with a video of a snow-covered I-80. “Please stay home.”

Avalanche Warning in Effect

The storm is forecast to dump between 3 and 6 feet of fresh snow in a region where some ski resorts reported getting 3 feet of snow since Thursday. An avalanche warning was issued for the greater Lake Tahoe Area, where heavy snow and high winds are forecast through Sunday.
It’s snowed so much recently that cities are running out of places to put the snow, said Kevin Cooper, marketing director for Lake Tahoe TV.
“All avid skiers are itching to get out on the mountain but the roads are pretty treacherous right now,” he said.
Some skiers canceled their plans after seeing the reports.
Aura Campa, of Oakland, and her partner were hoping to take advantage of their season passes and the fresh powder at Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows resort, but a scary near-accident on an icy road last weekend made them reconsider.
When a main highway through the Lake Tahoe area was crushed with traffic, she drove her SUV on a side road. Her vehicle didn’t have chains, and when it was going uphill the vehicle went into reverse.
“That was really scary for us. It was on a tiny hill with a small amount of ice but that was enough for us to think twice about traveling through a snowstorm again,” Campa said. “We’re not going to risk it.”

Mammoth Open, Nears Snowfall Record

About 140 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain was about to break a more than 30-year record for monthly snowfall but skiers and snowboarders should be able to reach the slopes as long as they have chains or snow tires, said resort spokesman Justin Romano.
The resort has already gotten 163 inches of snow this month, just 5 inches shy of its monthly snowfall record for the month of February 1986.
The main route there, Highway 395, has been experiencing closures because of dangerous driving conditions but was open Friday to those with the proper gear.
“The winds have calmed down and it looks like it’s going to be an awesome weekend to get people up here,” Romano said. “We’re stoked to have them.”

Flooding Elsewhere in California

Photo of Mojave River flooding in southern California
The Mojave River floods near the Deep Creek area as a winter storm passes through Hesperia, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. (James Quigg/The Daily Press via AP)
In other parts of California, crews turned to clean-up and damage assessment as the drenching storm brought flood dangers to Arizona.
Warnings were issued for Guerneville north of San Francisco as the Russian River surpassed flood stage, and the San Francisco Bay Area commute was snarled after a levee breach partially flooded a highway.
There were at least two deaths. A woman pulled from rising water in a flood-control channel in Corona, southeast of Los Angeles, had a heart attack and died at a hospital. And the body of an unidentified man was recovered from a fast-flowing creek in Escondido, northeast of San Diego.
Arizona and other parts of the West on Friday dealt with effects of a blitz of winter weather.
Firefighters rescued a motorist who called 911 to report his car was being swept down a wash in Tucson, Arizona, by runoff.
Residents were being helped after homes along a creek 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Flagstaff received up to several feet of water, said Yavapai County Sheriff’s spokesman Dwight D’Evelyn.
Road crews in parts of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming worked to clear avalanches that had closed mountain highways and to mitigate potential avalanche threats.
Similarly, dangerous travel conditions, as well as power outages, flooding, and road closures were cited in a decision to cancel classes in seven school districts in San Diego County.

DON'T MISS

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

DON'T MISS

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

DON'T MISS

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

DON'T MISS

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

DON'T MISS

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

DON'T MISS

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

DON'T MISS

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

UP NEXT

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

UP NEXT

7-Year-Old Girl Was Killed by a Falling Boulder at a Lake Tahoe Ski Resort

UP NEXT

Xavier Becerra Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Inside a $17 Billion Maintenance Backlog Plaguing California’s Universities

UP NEXT

California Lawmakers Reject Bills to Restrict Transgender Youth in School Sports

UP NEXT

Elon Musk Reclaims Top Spot on Forbes’ Billionaires List

UP NEXT

California Just Blew Its First Deadline for Voter-Approved Healthcare Measure

UP NEXT

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

9 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

9 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

9 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

9 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

10 hours ago

Why Project Labor Agreements Are Good for Our Schools and Students: Opinion

10 hours ago

Trump Proposes Tax Deduction for Auto Loan Interest on US-Made Cars

10 hours ago

Western US Sees Sharp Increase in Extreme Weather Impact

11 hours ago

Amazon Said to Make a Bid to Buy TikTok in the US

11 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead, Coroner’s Office Seeks Help Finding Family

11 hours ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night that would thwart President Donald Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada, ...

4 hours ago

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined from left by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., as they speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries, at the Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
4 hours ago

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Tariffs as Some Republicans Vote to Halt Taxes on Canadian Imports

7 hours ago

Supreme Court Sides With the FDA in Its Dispute Over Sweet-Flavored Vaping Products

8 hours ago

Trump Announces Sweeping New Tariffs to Promote US Manufacturing, Risking Inflation and Trade Wars

A young Labrador mix rescued from a Fresno canal on Sunday, March 2, 2025, is thriving in a foster home after overcoming fear and trauma. (Instagram/Fresno Animal Center)
9 hours ago

Fresno Firefighters Save Dog From Canal and Now She’s Ready for Adoption

9 hours ago

Big Brands Spend Just Enough on X to Avoid Musk’s ‘Naughty List’

9 hours ago

Judge Dismisses Corruption Case Against New York City Mayor Eric Adams

9 hours ago

State Center Trustees Render Split Decision on Future of PLAs

10 hours ago

California’s Schools Chief Has a $200,000 Salary and a Side Gig

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend