Winter storm shuts down I-80 in Sierra, more snow on way

RENO, Nev. - A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in the Sierra was closed Saturday when a powerful storm that dropped nearly 2 feet of snow on some ski resorts around Lake Tahoe overnight got its second wind.

A winter storm remains in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday at Lake Tahoe, where the National Weather Service said more snow is on its way — 1 to 2 feet more at lake level and up to another 3 feet at elevations above 7,000 feet where winds could gust in excess of 100 mph. 

I-80 connecting Reno to Sacramento was closed in both directions due to poor visibility from the Nevada-California state line to Colfax, California.

"The worst part of the storm is here so expect long delays," the California Highway Patrol in Truckee tweeted Saturday afternoon.

The storm warning was set to expire at 10 p.m. Saturday in Reno-Sparks and Carson City.

Twenty inches of snow fell Friday night into Saturday at Homewood on Tahoe’s west shore. About a foot was reported at Northstar near Truckee, California and 10 inches at the Mount Rose ski resort on the southwest edge of Reno.

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