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Forecasters are warning that more snow is on the way for northern California mountains after a powerful blizzard that closed highways and ski resorts over the weekend had mostly moved through the Sierra Nevada by early Monday.
Sections of Interstate 80 to the west and north of Lake Tahoe were still shut down late on Sunday, with no estimate for reopening, the California highway patrol said.
Gusts hitting more than 100mph were expected on the Sierra mountain ridges through early Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The CHP office in South Lake Tahoe warned motorists that tire chains for improved traction are required on routes through the mountains, where more than 7 feet (2.1 meters) of snow fell over the weekend.
Blizzard warnings had mostly expired but scattered thunderstorms were likely and another 2ft (60cm) of snow was possible at higher elevations, the National Weather Service office in Sacramento said.
“Mountain travel is highly discouraged!” the office warned.
The multiday storm 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.
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.
In the eastern Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was closed on Sunday as winds of up to 70mph (113km/h) made it too difficult for ski patrol to complete avalanche mitigation, the resort said. More than 3 feet of snow fell over three days, and more was on the way.
The storm began barreling into the region on Thursday. A widespread blizzard warning through Sunday morning covered a 300-mile stretch of the mountains. A second, weaker storm was forecast to bring additional rain and snow between Monday and Wednesday, forecasters said.
