Storm packing high winds, heavy snow blows into northern California

A car passes a caution sign as heavy snow falls on the Mt. Rose Highway near Reno, Nev., on Dec. 1, 2022. A windy, winter storm packing heavy snow started moving into the Sierra Thursday, closing schools at Lake Tahoe, prompting a backcountry avalanche warning and snarling traffic on Interstate 80 west of Reno. (Jason Bean/Reno Gazette-Journal via AP)

RENO, Nev. -

A winter storm packing high winds and potentially several feet of snow blew into the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, triggering thousands of power outages in California, closing a mountain highway at Lake Tahoe and prompting an avalanche warning in the backcountry.

The storm is expected to bring as much as 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow to the upper elevations around Lake Tahoe by Monday morning, the National Weather Service said.

A 250-mile (400-kilometre) stretch of the Sierra from north of Reno to south of Yosemite National Park was under a winter storm warning at least until Sunday.

"Travel will be very difficult to impossible with whiteout conditions," the weather service said in Reno, where rain started falling Saturday.

A flood advisory was in effect from Sacramento to the California coast near San Francisco.

The U.S. Forest Service issued an avalanche warning for the backcountry in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe where it said "several feet of new snow and strong winds will result in dangerous avalanche conditions."

A stretch of California Highway 89 was closed due to heavy snow between Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe, California, the highway patrol said. Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento remained open but chains were required on tires for most vehicles.

More than 30,000 customers were without power in the Sacramento area at one point Saturday morning. It had been restored to all but about 3,300 by midday. But forecasters warned winds gusting up to 50 mph (80 kph) could bring down tree branches and power lines later in the day.

About 10 inches (25 centimetres) of snow already had fallen at Mammoth Mountain ski resort south of Yosemite where more than 10 feet (3 meters) of snow has been recorded since early November.

"It just seems like every week or so, another major storm rolls in," resort spokeswoman Lauren Burke said.

The storm warning stretches into Sunday for most of the Sierra, and doesn't expire until Monday around Tahoe.

As much as 18 to 28 inches (45 to 71 centimetres) of snow was forecast through the weekend at lake level, and up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) with 50 mph (80 kph) winds and gusts up to 100 mph (160 kph).

On the Sierra's eastern slope, a winter weather advisory runs from 10 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. for Reno, Sparks and Carson City, with snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) on valley floors and up to 8 inches (20 cm) above 5,000 feet (1,524 meters).

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Associated Press reporters Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco and Julie Walker in New York City contributed to this report.