Photos: California towns buried under more than 7 feet of snow

California’s mountain towns and ski resorts are digging out after a blockbuster blizzard buried them and major roads under several feet of snow.

The storm slammed California’s mountains for multiple days before wrapping up Monday. The most extreme conditions targeted the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada where over 7 feet of snow and hurricane-force wind gusts of 170 mph-plus were reported.

Additional snow will fall across high elevations of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest into Wednesday as a new storm pushes into the region, but amounts are expected to come up well short of the weekend’s monster storm.

Patrons enter Jax At The Tracks diner past snow drifts in downtown Truckee, California, on March 3, 2024. – Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group via AP

But even small amounts of additional snow could increase travel woes across the region.

A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in California near the Nevada state line has been closed for more than two days after highway officials reported stranded drivers Friday night. The interstate was still closed as of Monday morning, but could potentially reopen later in the day, the state’s transportation authority said Sunday.

Portions of routes 49, 70, 88 and 108 that cross the Sierra Nevada also remained closed as of early Monday. Blowing snow and poor visibility closed parts of I-580 and Route 395 in Nevada Monday morning.

In the South Lake Tahoe area where 3 to 5 feet of snow fell, a snowslide trapped vehicles and briefly shut down Highway 50 in California Sunday morning. There were no injuries reported and crews quickly reopened the road, officials said.

But incredibly heavy snow and roaring winds presented long-lasting problems for other areas that typically thrive on plenty of snowfall.

Numerous ski fields and chairlifts were closed Sunday because of the extreme conditions, including at Palisades Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe and Mammoth. Many will remain closed on Monday as crews dig out

Palisades Tahoe – which recorded 8 feet of snow – plans to open Monday, the resort announced Sunday. The resort’s Alpine Peak registered a wind gust Saturday of 171 mph, with gusts nearby topping 140 mph on Sunday, forcing it to close.

Other nearby high elevations were buried under even more snow. The Sugar Bowl Ski Resort located near Donner Peak recorded 87 inches (7.25 feet) of snow from Friday to Sunday.

Snow blocks the door of the maintenance shop of the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. – Sierra-at-Tahoe

The ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe in Twin Bridges shared images with CNN of snow piling up against the door of the resort’s maintenance shop and a car in the resort’s guest parking buried in snow that fell overnight. At least 5 feet of snow buried the resort, but strong winds carried snow into even taller piles called snow drifts.

Snow completely engulfs a guest’s car at the ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday, March 1, 2024. – Sierra-at-Tahoe

The daunting forecast wasn’t enough to dissuade some travelers from hitting the road during the worst conditions.

The snowy and windy conditions left some vehicles stuck on the main road to Mammoth Mountain ski resort, US 395, on Friday, with some motorists in need of rescue, according to the highway patrol office in Truckee, which reported a “mass amount of vehicles stuck over Donner Summit.” The road was forced to close.

The snowfall was so intense with such punishing winds that even crews dispatched to help those trapped found themselves in a similar predicament.

“At one point, emergency personnel and tow trucks had a difficult time getting to motorists due to blizzard conditions,” the highway patrol said.

The California Highway Patrol posted a photo Saturday afternoon of one of its cars stuck in snow.

The severe winter storm conditions in Northern California even damaged some equipment crews were using to clear roadways of snow.

“We have been down to two of 10 blowers at our central hub in Kingvale and six out of 20 from Auburn to the Nevada state line,” California Department of Transportation officials said in a post on X.

Crews clear trees along Donner Lake, where power was lost due to the storm Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Truckee, California. – Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP

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