A mess tonight in the Sierra under
a Blizzard warning. Right now, Rd.
shut down on Interstate 80 and Hwy. 50.
We are tracking dangerous conditions
with a lack of visibility,
avalanche control and spinouts
being reported. Good evening.
We have a lot to cover.
I'm Chris Thomas.
I'm Laura painter.
Thank you for joining us.
The message tonight avoid driving in
the Sierra if you don't have to travel.
We've got team coverage tonight as
the Sierra remains under a Blizzard.
Warning. Chief meteorologist Monica
Woods is tracking the storm,
but we start tonight with
the danger on the roads.
It's a mess wherever you go.
This is a live look at I-80,
just horrible conditions.
ABC 10s Luke Clary has been following
those conditions all evening.
And Luke, what are you seeing
and learning right now?
Laura, Chris. Well, as you can see,
there seems to be a bit of a
break in the snow right now where
we're standing at Applegate.
From here, I-80 is closed all
the way to the Nevada state line.
And along the way to this point on I-80,
we saw dozens of big rigs
and several passenger cars,
drivers hoping that they would be able
to make their way into the mountains.
But based on what we have seen so far,
it could be a while.
With Interstate 80 closed at the
Applegate exit, big rigs waiting
by the dozen on each side of
the road for much of the afternoon,
the heavy snow piling up as
quickly as crews could work to plow
it and drivers to shovel it. Mother
Nature is stronger than we are.
So where to look at it?
This couple wanted to go skiing
this family a winter getaway
in Truckee with the grandson.
We thought we'd get ahead of
this storm and so we could just.
You know enjoy the snow.
But we didn't make it.
Ohh you know let's try.
We didn't make it
before the roads closed.
You just never know you.
Sometime they open it,
sometime they close.
I mean in the end
they were among the many
people turned away by CHP
and Caltrans crews who only let people
through who lived nearby and could
prove it with ID
and have the proper equipment to do it.
This is my first time with these type so.
I guess make sure you know how to use them.
Aiden Sumida and his friend lived
just a few miles up the hill.
This is still a bit extreme.
I've I've only seen it this bad once,
winning their struggle with the
chains. They're free to go home as officials
urge other drivers just to head
back down out of the snow.
And I spent some time chatting with
one of the workers here with Caltrans,
who was checking ID's, letting people
who live nearby go to their homes,
and turning others away.
He said that he was encouraging
a lot of people just to go
back down the hill to Auburn,
get a hot meal and wait it out.
But again, seeing all of those
big rigs along the sides of I-80,
it really just kind of underscores how much
commerce traverses the mountain passes.
On this, this roadway and understandable
why so many big rig truckers are
eager to get back out on the road.
Our understanding though from Caltrans
tonight is that will not be happening,
at least not tonight.
Back to you.
Yeah, Luke. Interstate 80,
really a lifeline for our
commerce in our country.
And it's exactly situations like these to
always have emergency supplies in your car.
We're talking about blankets,
waters, water and chains, of course,
like some of those folks out there.
Luke Clary, thank you and be safe.
Well, now the chief meteorologist,
Monica Woods, how's that
morning commute looking, Monica?
It's gonna look a lot like what we've been
seeing throughout the day for the Sierra now.
And opposition, we see clear
skies throughout the valley.
And that's really how the evening has
been playing out. Really heavy snow.
Higher up in the Sierra, the valley dry.
And you can see as we zoom in where
Luke was positioned along I-80,
just down the hill here it is dry.
But once you start heading up the hill,
This is why I-80 still closed.
We have heavy snow at times
continuing to fall. Along Hwy.
50, periods of closure still have
the Avalanche controls in effect
and that road still closed as well.
8889, one 24,
I could keep going on with every Rd.
because basically we're looking at
closures and chain controls throughout.
You can see snow still falling in the
motherload all the way through the
central Sierra as well along I-5.
By the way, if you're headed northbound,
you're going to encounter chain
controls up towards Redding and
beyond towards the Oregon border.
Rain starts to pick up for the valley
come our way by about 2:00 AM that's
going to take us right through the morning.
With another chance of
thunderstorms for tomorrow,
you can see it in line here,
all the areas shaded in green.
And basically we're looking at the
potential for some hail strong downpours
as well as some lightning Blizzard
warning in effect through 4:00 AM,
Avalanche warning in effect
through Wednesday morning as well,
we get into our winter storm warning in
effect that will continue through Wednesday.
And for the coast,
we're going to see that winter
weather advisory in place through
4:00 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
This is what it looks like out
at Solano County. How about that?
Nicholas Demitting that and and
it was just a beautiful sight.
A lot of folks getting excited about
that cold air dropping low snow levels.
Then again this continues into our Tuesday.
More on what we can expect for
the rest of the week.
Coming up in just a moment.
Sounds good. Monica. Thank you.
Want to show you this.
Just look at all that heavy snow.
We shot this video this morning
as the storm moved in and
conditions only got worse.
It's not just I-80 getting hit
with the snow and closures.
This is how things were looking.
Along Hwy. 50 earlier today and don't
expect improvements anytime soon.
Right now, eastbound lanes are closed
at Pollock Pines and westbound lanes
are closed at Myers due to Avalanche
control and cars spinning out.
Also tonight, Hwy.
88 is closed to eastbound traffic
at do drop in the pioneer area.
ABC 10 talked with people about how
they're dealing with the low snow.
Tonight, low snow in Foothill
neighborhoods is a big story.
Snow accumulations building up on roads,
cars and homes near downtown
Placerville headed up Hwy.
5030 years. And I got into it because
up here during the winter there
wasn't a lot of work when there was
always 3 feet of snow on the ground.
So the opportunity was there
and I jumped at it.
The weather is ideal for
skiers and other snow lovers.
It also means good business for
chain installers like Steve. Leith,
who have worked out there for decades,
personally I would say don't come out
if you don't know how to drive in it.
If you do know how to drive in it,
chain up and go over there,
because Caltrans keeps the road
pretty clear and they monitor it.
If it's if it's too dangerous there,
they'll shut it down
and seeing a lot of accidents,
that's for sure. People not
putting their chains on right,
people driving too fast, just not
being cautious of the circumstance.
Meanwhile in Pine Grove,
business was booming at a local
market as people came in to
stock up on food and supplies,
cat food, dog food, our delis.
Open. We're open 24/7.
There are some other stores
in town that are closed,
so we are open and available.
It was also a snow day for schools,
meaning a day off for high school students
like Connor Clinton and Maddie Nicholson.
I'm excited. I mean,
it means more time off school for us.
I really like it because it
doesn't normally show at my house.
I live a little bit lower,
so this is probably like the first
time I've seen snow in my house
and like at least a few years.
For others, the dumping of
snow isn't keeping them from
enjoying some ice cream.
Or wearing their shorts.
It's just an everyday thing matter.
Why snow don't bother me none.
A reminder in Amador County,
Highway 88 is closed to
eastbound traffic at do drop.
In the Pioneer area,
Caltrans urges drivers to
take an alternate route.
And thank you to Connie for sharing
this video with us tonight.
The snow was falling in Auburn today.
A beautiful sight if you're inside right,
keep in mind many schools are
closing because of the weather.
You can visit our website abc10.com
for the full list of school closures.
We'll also keep you posted
on ABC 10 Morning News
and download our free ABC 10 app where you
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