Tahoe blizzard brings wind gusts of 190 mph, closes I-80 indefinitely

Powerful storm forces Caltrans to close Interstate 80 as the region braces for more heavy snowfall.

A raging winter storm gained force overnight Friday in the Sierra Nevada — with wind gusts reaching over 190 miles per hour in high-elevation areas — forcing roads in the Lake Tahoe area to close and ski resorts to shutter.

The blizzard is the strongest that California has seen so far this year. In the last 48 hours, the storm has dumped between 24 and 42 inches across the mountains, according to Sara Purdue, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

As of Saturday morning, Caltrans had closed a 52-mile portion of Interstate 80 between Colfax and the California-Nevada state line, and was discouraging travel through the mountains while the blizzard warning is in effect through Sunday morning.

The decision came after multiple spinouts along the highway in the early afternoon Friday, said Jeremy Linder, a spokesman for Caltrans. Highway officials started to hold traffic around 4:30, then two hours later made the call to close the road.

CalTrans also closed down State Route 20 and State Route 49 in Sierra County, two commonly used alternative routes to reach the Truckee area. Interstate 50 remains open, although chain restrictions are in place.

“We are still encouraging motorists not to travel this weekend if they don’t have to,” Linder said.

Here’s what to expect the rest of the weekend:

• The storm hit its peak overnight Friday, but will continue to pummel the mountains with snow and wind through Monday. Wind gusts are expected around 45 to 50 miles per hour in the mountains.
• In the next 24 hours, areas of 5,000 feet or above could get around five feet of snow, while lower elevation areas will see between one and four feet.
• The mountains will see back-to-back storms. A slight break in the snowfall is expected Monday morning, but a second storm could hit the area by the afternoon, bringing an additional two feet of snow, Purdue said.

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