Anyone looking to get a jump on ski season and this first big snowfall up around Lake Tahoe should probably have left yesterday, as snowy roadways are already causing problems for drivers in the area.
Parts of the Sierra were forecast to get upwards of two to three feet of snow from this storm system, and conditions on the roads were already degrading Thursdsay morning. CHP Truckee posted the photo below of a jackknifed big rig on I-80 westbound at Hirschdale Road around 11:30 a.m. That was expected to cause delays for all westbound travelers near Truckee.
Traffic on I-80 westbound at Hirschdale Rd. is being held due to a jackknifed big rig….expect delays.
— CHP Truckee (@CHP_Truckee) December 1, 2022
•I-80 is R2 in both directions from Boca to Alta.
• Big rigs are being turned around westbound and the Nevada State line, and eastbound at Alta. pic.twitter.com/3O4Y7VGd6I
Chain controls are in effect for various mountain roadways, and a CBS reporter out of Sacramento was documenting the snowfall in Strawberry, along Highway 108 south of the Tahoe area. And backcountry avalanche warnings have been issued.
"Persistent snowfall rates of 1-2"/hour are expected for up to 12 hours, with short bursts of enhanced 3-4"/hour rates possible around the time of cold front passage," says the National Weather Service, regarding conditions in the Tahoe region.
Cold temperatures on Friday morning, as the cold front passes through, could mean icy roads as well, which leaves likely only a small safe window for travelers to Tahoe with more precipitation expected Friday and Saturday. And leaving the area on Sunday is likely to be challenging to impossible as well.
The National Weather Service warned drivers to avoid traveling to Tahoe between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Friday.
Drivers are being advised, if they do plan to make the trek, to use the CHP's QuickMap site to check for delays and road closures.
