The people of California are in the middle of a chaotic situation because of a winter storm. This climatic disorder led to the closure of a portion of a highway with a pileup of cars in Nevada. When snow covers the surroundings, tires fail to grip the road and slip. The result could be collision or accretion of vehicles, injuries to people, and blockage of roads.
Therefore, forecasters have cautioned the public about possible difficulties in travel in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. These difficulties would remain for quite some time. The closure was on a long stretch of Interstate 80.
A combination of high-speed winds and whiteout conditions led to the pileup of cars in Nevada. Six people suffered injuries in the pileup and required hospital treatment. As a precautionary measure, the authorities closed other mountain routes. They also warned the drivers of poor visibility and slippery conditions.
The National Weather Service NWS office in Reno, Nevada took to the social media and advised people to remain indoors and not venture out. There was also a winter storm warning for greater Lake Tahoe. It mentioned whiteout conditions and gusts of high-speed wind.
NWS warned that the winter storm would bring snow, rain, and power outages. Today's society depends heavily on electricity because it powers a whole range of essential appliances.
Hence, it is difficult when there is no power to operate the gadgets. However, those who have renewable energy provisions need not worry about such issues.
Storm and heavy rains led to rockslides
Heavy rains and resultant rockslides closed a large stretch of coastal Highway 1 in the Big Sur region. This is in the San Francisco Bay Area.
This storm happens to be another one that hit Southern California. The heavy rainfall coupled with wind flooded the streets and uprooted power lines.
The powerful gusts toppled trees, damaged carports, and even blew away a shed. The Los Angeles International Airport faced a "storm-related electrical issue." The authorities announced the closure of one Terminal and diverted post-Christmas passengers to alternate terminals.
California welcomes the rainfall that accompanied the storm
The heavy rain damaged a portion of State Route 18. This is in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. The closure would affect the route into the area of a ski resort. Repair work has started, but restoration would be a time-consuming affair. However, parched California welcomed the storms. The low level of the Sierra snowpack had been a source of worry for the administration. It was due to weeks of dry weather. That would change with an abundance of snow.
The storm will bring heavy snowfall to California
The NWS has issued winter storm warnings for the Sierra Nevada. There would be widespread rain and chances of mountain snow.
People have to be ready to face holiday travel delays and draw up plans accordingly. Some areas could experience several feet of snow.
Wind gusts could reach 50 mph while they could go beyond 100 mph along the Sierra crest. Coastal areas will have light to moderate rainfall. Those who intend to travel have to consider delays caused by slick roadways and the accumulation of water apart from mudflows and landslides in the mountainous terrain.
