More mountain snow expected even as powerful blizzard moves out of Northern California

A person skis during a snow storm Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts had moved through the Sierra Nevada by early Monday, but forecasters warned that more snow was on the way for the Northern California mountains.

A highway sign is covered in snow during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A long stretch of Interstate 80 from west of Lake Tahoe to the Nevada state line was still shut down early Monday, according to California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans. Closures or chain requirements also affected other highways.

More than 7 feet (2.1 meters) of snow fell in some locations and fierce winds lashed the Sierra over the weekend.

The last blizzard warnings expired before dawn Monday, leaving a few light Sierra showers, but winter storm warnings were issued for a new, less powerful system due to arrive later in the day and last into Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.

A person uses a blower to clear snow during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

The new system was expected to bring periods of moderate mountain snow.

The weekend blizzard caused traffic backups and closures on I-80 and many other roadways, shut down ski resorts for two days, and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.

USPS trucks are covered in snow during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

By Sunday night, Pacific Gas & Electric had restored electricity to all but about 4,400 Northern California customers, while NV Energy had reduced its outages to roughly 1,000 homes and businesses across the state line in Nevada.

Snow piles up in a neighborhood during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Palisades Tahoe, the largest resort on the north end of Lake Tahoe, was among several ski mountains that closed most or all chairlifts for a second straight day Sunday because of snow, wind and low visibility. Palisades reported a three-day snow total of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with more falling.

The resort planned to at least partially reopen Monday but warned that delays were possible, noting on its website that “Mother Nature often has her own plans.”

Kevin Dupui, who lives in Truckee, just northwest of Lake Tahoe, said his snow blower broke, but it doesn’t really matter because there’s nowhere to put all the snow anyway. “We just move it around,” he said Sunday.

Dupui said residents and tourists seem to be mostly heeding warnings to stay home. “The roads haven’t been that safe, so we don’t really want people driving around,” he said.

Another Truckee resident, Jenelle Potvin, said at first some cynical locals thought “there was a little too much hype” made about the approaching storm. But then the unrelenting snow began Friday night.

“It was definitely a blizzard. And we woke up to a lot of snow yesterday and it never let up,” Potvin said Sunday. Her neighbors were snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the streets.

In the eastern Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was closed Sunday as winds of up to 70 mph (113 kph) made it too difficult for ski patrol to complete avalanche mitigation, the resort said. More than 3 feet (nearly 1 meter) of snow fell over three days, and more was on the way.

Workers clear snow off a roof of a building during a blizzard Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Weather service meteorologist William Churchill on Saturday called the storm an “extreme blizzard” for the Sierra Nevada but said he didn’t expect records to be broken.

Palisades Tahoe ski resort remains closed during a blizzard Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

The storm began barreling into the region Thursday. A widespread blizzard warning covered a 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch of the mountains.

California authorities on Friday shut down 100 miles (160 kilometers) of I-80, the main route between Reno and Sacramento, because of “spin outs, high winds, and low visibility.”

People ski during a snow storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Rudy Islas spent about 40 minutes shoveling his car out before heading to work at a coffee shop in Truckee on Sunday morning. Neither he nor his customers were fazed by the snow, he said.

“To be honest, if you’re a local, it’s not a big deal,” he said. “I think a lot of people are used to the snow and they prepare for it.”

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters Ken Ritter in Las Vegas; Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada; Janie Har in San Francisco; Julie Walker in New York; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.

Workers clear snow in a residential neighborhood, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A group of friends ski on a residential street during a snowstorm, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Residents try to clear snow during a storm, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow is cleared from a sidewalk during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A man covers his head with a jacket during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

A man uses a snow blower as snow piles up during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)

Snow is cleared from the entrance to a business during a storm, Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Truckee, Calif. (AP Photo/Brooke Hess-Homeier)