An “astronomical” winter storm blanketed the Sierra Nevada mountains in California with enormous snow drifts Thursday through Sunday.
Dangers to life, infrastructure and remote communities in the Sierra Nevada mountains continue Monday as enormous snow drifts and feet on feet of snow coat the region, AccuWeather reported.
“People that live in the Sierra, and there are quite a few people that live there or are vacationing there, are not going to be able to get out for some time to come,” AccuWeather’s California expert Ken Clark forecasted.
Images and videos shared online from the region show the absolute chaos caused by the seemingly endless snow. One photograph shared from Tahoe showed cars well-covered in snow. The snow gauge in Tahoe City disappeared under snow at some point Sunday after more than 23 inches fell by 1:00 p.m.
@kcraFinan @TahoeWeather well we aren’t going anywhere soon. Donner summit. 3/3/24 10AM pic.twitter.com/u2oQUk2OFu
— Jimmy Dealba (@jimmydealba) March 4, 2024
Update: The snow gauge in Tahoe City is gone. https://t.co/M4UtF7frwr pic.twitter.com/hNkLIzCS3A
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) March 4, 2024
Videos taken along Highway 89 near the city show trees collapsed onto power lines and thick blankets of snow coating the road. Semi-trucks and other major vehicles were spotted off the I-80 east of Truckee, apparently abandoned in the chaos.
More footage from yesterday of downed trees over power lines on Highway 89 near Tahoe City due the heavy snow load and extremely strong winds associated with ongoing blizzard.
Lots of power outages in the Tahoe area. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/Ocm43voXxg
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) March 3, 2024
More semi trucks abandoned and buried on I-80 EB east of Truckee.
Can’t imagine what Donner Pass looks like with dozens of semi trucks still stuck. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/feVhIjADHz
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) March 3, 2024
But things are far more apocalyptic along Donner Pass, California, where seemingly countless semi-trucks lay in ruin on the completely snowed-out roadways as snow fell continuously for 48 hours, according to meteorologist Colin McCarthy. Footage captured in Truckee shows a double plow coming down the road and it’s almost hard to believe anyone survived these winters long enough to settle the region.
Donner Pass in California hit by extreme bout of global warming:pic.twitter.com/dfBF9DGX6w
— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) March 4, 2024
Homes and businesses around Donner Lake, California, are buried as heavy snow continues.
Now approaching nearly 48 hours of continuous snowfall. #CAwx #LeapDayBlizzard pic.twitter.com/oWk9B4nlYa
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) March 2, 2024
Sorry for the wild camera swings, but I wanted to safely capture this double plow coming down Donner Pass Road in historic downtown Truckee. #cawx #blizzard #winterstorm pic.twitter.com/k0YobVjgl4
— Jen Carfagno (@JenCarfagno) March 2, 2024
Storm gusts through the weekend blew up to 160 mph while more than 10 feet is believed to have deluged parts of the state, AccuWeather noted. (RELATED: Texas Wildfire Grows Overnight To Largest In State’s History)
“The snowpack that builds into the early spring over the Sierra Nevada is the lifeline for much of California’s water supply through the year. The gradual melting snow later in the spring and summer keeps the streams flowing and tops off lakes and reservoirs,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski noted.
The storm is expected to start moving south through Monday and Tuesday, but will weaken before it hits parts of Southern California. It’s hoped that several days of dry weather will be enough to make a dent in removing snow from many of the stranded communities.