Blizzard continues to pound the Sierra; I-80 reopens

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A blizzard in the Sierra continued to cause headaches for those on the roads hoping to get to Tahoe, including Interstate 80, which finally reopened Monday morning along Donner Pass.

I-80 had been closed since Friday. 

Other roads in the Sierra were affected too, including a snow slide Sunday morning on Highway 50, which caused a temporary closure. 

"Luckily, Caltrans was able to get in there pretty quickly. There were no recorded injuries, but a couple of cars were caught under the slide, so they cleared those, and were able to open it up within 30 minutes," said Sheree Juarez, public information officer for the City of South Lake Tahoe. "Right now we’ve been encouraging [people] not to travel. It’s been highly discouraged."

Juarez also advised drivers, who need to be on the roads, to take it slow, and to avoid passing other vehicles on two-lane roads, which she said had resulted in several accidents, including one with a plow truck.

Meantime, the wind caused several snow-laden trees to topple onto power lines, at one point knocking out electricity to some 30,000 customers.

"You know when it hits like this all at once, it’s tough for everybody, even locals," said Juarez.

The storm also left some local businesses in a state of limbo.

"More than anything, just [not] knowing if we're going to open or not has probably caused the most amount of stress," said Adele Attix, who owns a store in Truckee. "I'm sort of gauging if other businesses are opening if it's safe to be on the roads, that kind of thing."

Some area ski resorts, including Heavenly Mountain, were able to partially open for the day. But at other resorts, including Palisades Tahoe, the high winds made it too difficult to operate on Sunday. The resort plans to reopen on Monday. 

Back in the Bay Area, California Ski Company in Berkeley handled a steady stream of customers hoping to get first tracks in Tahoe.

"We’re heading up hopefully today, maybe in the morning," said Vijoa, who was renting equipment with her husband Anthony. "We've got a truck, four-wheel drive, all-weather tires."

"Fresh powder, that’s what we’re looking for," said Anthony. "We just decided to rent down here, so that when we get up there, we can just hit the mountain."

First responders are urging drivers to check with Caltrans for any potential closures before heading north.