Well, we start tonight on the storm watch.
With snow in the Sierra and
much needed rain in the valley.
I-80 E is closed at exit 146 in Alta.
This is a live look right now.
Cars are being redirected to
travel back West due to Spinouts
and unsafe driving conditions.
ABC 10s Alicia Machado will have
a live report at 6:30 with more
on the closure and conditions.
Good evening. We have a lot to
cover tonight. I'm Chris Thomas.
I'm Laura painter.
We have live team.
Coverage tonight on how this storm
is affecting people in the region.
ABC 10s Jay Kim is in the Sierra
tonight with the snow conditions,
and Kurt Rivera is looking at the
cleanup in Stockton from today's rain.
But we start with meteorologist Carly Gomez,
who is tracking this storm and
another on the way for the weekend.
And we were looking at a lot
of that rain passing through.
Now I want to talk about these
travel conditions out there.
We've seen dozens of accidents,
spinouts from the snow to the valley.
Heavy rain and snow will continue
into your evening hours as it moves.
SE, If you can, please avoid travel.
Now this also goes for Saturday as we
are looking for the next storm ahead.
There's still avalanche warning in
place into tomorrow morning for those
strong wind gusts in the High Sierra
and whiteout conditions are causing a
lot of those areas off 80 as well as
a lot of the highways in the Sierra.
Start closing down briefly and we are
seeing in tracking the storm system
moving its way further toward the
southeast where it's accumulating a lot
of that rain currently from Jackson
towards Murphy's Snora and Arnold.
Seeing some snowfall there with a
lot more snow still continuing in
the overnight hours but starting to
wind down for areas around Truckee.
The Winter storm warning in effect
until midnight.
We do have a dense fog advisory
early morning hours as we start
to see the storm system clear out
that's bringing us clear skies,
cold temperatures near freezing
point as well as some of that fog
and even frost in the morning.
Hours.
Let's talk about the Avalanche warning
that's in effect until 7:00 AM from
Truckee all the way through some of
the highest CR spots toward Yosemite.
And we're also looking to get more
backyard temperatures dropping off,
but we're looking at morning fog
that's new for the next at least
24 hours into the morning hours.
But what's next?
More rain and snow in the forecast?
That's for Saturday into Sunday
and potentially Monday.
Now overnight we'll see temperatures
dropping off near freezing close to
7:00 AM and then into the morning hours,
those upper 30s to low 40s.
We'll see highs tomorrow.
In those 50s,
so very still chilly temperatures,
we have one day between storm systems.
So prepare,
let's continue our team coverage with
a look at the snow in the Sierra. Now
ABC 10s Jay Kim is live from Nyack right now.
And Jay, we can see that snow
has calmed down, but you say the
freeze is starting to set in.
Yeah, absolutely.
Chris and Laura, certainly a winter
Wonderland out here in Nyack.
It's a beautiful sight to see,
but this storm is certainly packing a punch.
Take a look at all the snow on the ground.
That's what's creating extremely hazardous
road conditions for drivers headed up I-80.
We were actually really in the thick of it
earlier as we were heading up here ourselves,
dealing with those slick
conditions that low visibility.
And take a look at this Shell
gas station here in Nyack.
It's pretty much a ghost town.
That's because of all the
accumulation on the ground now.
Did manage to speak to a few
drivers headed up 80 earlier,
some who said this winter
storm caught them off guard.
A fresh blanket of snow marks the
start of December in the Sierras.
It's also creating a major headache
for drivers headed up by 80.
According to Caltrans.
There were multiple spinouts
throughout the day and on our
drive up we saw several semi trucks
off to the side of the road as
drivers scramble to install chains.
I was going to get off actually to
come get some breakfast this morning
and I couldn't even get off the exit
because it was so packed with snow.
The slick conditions are
keeping Josh Saunders busy.
He's been working overtime
to clear the roadways.
I've just been in equipment all day
and in that just plowing all pound snow
all day and I come up here for the
storms so probably work a 14 hour days
at the Nyack Shell Gas station.
It was a ghost town compared to most days.
The Burger King next door even
closed their doors early since
there were hardly any customers.
We've been open since 7:00 AM
and we've made $151.
So that's why we're closing.
Meanwhile, Corey Reynolds and his
wife decided to celebrate their
10 year anniversary by taking a
family road trip towards Truckee.
Although they weren't expecting
to get caught up in a snowstorm,
it came as a pleasant surprise.
We didn't have much to do.
I took the day off and so we
decided to just go for a drive.
And his kids certainly weren't
complaining about the snow.
They like to eat the snow.
It puts the icing on the
cake for anniversary.
You know better than the rain,
but Saunders wants to emphasize.
These conditions are dangerous
and encourages all drivers to
be ready for the unexpected when
heading towards the mountains.
I've I've crashed before off the
road and it's it gets scary and I
even have a four wheel drive truck,
so just make sure you got your chains.
So the best
advice right now is to
stay at home if you can.
But if you are planning to head up 80,
prepare for delays and Rd closures.
Make sure you take it slow.
The speed limit for these
conditions is 30 mph.
You also want to make sure you have
chains that actually fit your tires if
your car doesn't have all-wheel drive.
Of course, we're going to continue
to track conditions throughout the
night right here on ABC 10 for now,
reporting live in Nyack.
Chris, back to
you. Yeah, and Jay,
folks want to make sure to
have those emergency safety
kits in their car as well.
Some water flashlights,
things of that nature.
They can really be a lifesaver
in these dangerous conditions.
We thank you, Sir.
And just into our newsroom right now,
I-80 E has reopened.
The snow is a welcome sight for ski resorts.
You see in this video here,
this is Mammoth Mountain where
it was really coming down today.
They're expecting up to 16 inches
by the time this storm is done.
Yeah, the rain has been heavy in the
San Joaquin Valley and it created all
kinds of issues in Stockton. Today,
ABC 10s Kurt Rivera is live in downtown
Stockton. Kurt talked to us
when a tough day on the road.
Sure was, Chris.
We're on East Main Street
at the Crosstown Freeway.
I'm going to step away.
So take a good look at the
freeway right now where the
rain is finally let up,
giving drivers a break just in
time for the evening commute.
As an onslaught of rain
invaded City Storm drains.
Oscar Martinez with San Joaquin
County Public Works was
right in the middle of it all
leaves, garbage and all that gets
trapped on top of the drain.
So it's useful for us to come out ahead
of time and try to prevent all that
on city streets.
Wet roads created trouble for drivers.
Selena Carreon's father rear-ended
a garbage truck when his pickup
couldn't stop at the stop sign.
I would just say we have to be
careful out there because, you know,
maybe stop from a little bit of far
just because he stopped a little
close and this is what happened.
On I-5 near Lodi,
heavy rain made for poor visibility
and challenging for drivers.
And as a truck driver, you can
just imagine just how treacherous
it is out on the roads. It's
pretty thick right now. Yeah,
Ed Curry is a long haul trucker
from Mississippi waiting to pick up
a load of produce in the Bay Area.
Reduce your speed and be
cautious of other drivers.
Yeah, I mean, everybody's in a
rush when it gets to raining,
so you have to think for everybody else.
High above it all,
rain didn't stop this group of tree
trimmers from doing their job.
The work is not the same as when it's dry,
when it's not raining,
but we need to do it to support
the house, he says. But for others,
like one year old Emily, it was no work
and all play one puddle at a time.
And is this the first time
she's been out in the rain?
One of the few times? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
This is the first time she really
got to experience it though.
Do you love love jumping?
Huh? Yes, it is.
Is she cute or what?
Now, despite the wet roads,
traffic continues to move
along the Crosstown Freeway.
But the bottom line,
the county says no roads were flooded,
no trees came down.
But it is going to be cold tonight.
So the city of Stockton is opening
up three overnight warming centers.
To find those locations,
head to our website at
abc10.com/links. We're live in East
Stockton tonight. Chris, back to you.
Yeah, some good information,
Kurt, and an absolutely.
Adorable little Emily,
we thank you for that update.
To track the latest on the
storm and the road closures,
as well as to keep an eye
on conditions anytime,
just download the free ABC 10
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