Persistent snow and winds are keeping Interstate 80 shut through the Sierra Nevada mountains and its reopening time unclear.
The blizzard warning had originally been set to expire at 10 a.m Sunday, but the National Weather Service on Sunday morning extended it to 4 a.m. Monday as mountain communities attempted to dig out from the biggest snowstorm of the year while it kept going — and going.
An alternate, though slow route home for Bay Area residents who might brave the drive around the east side of Lake Tahoe to US Highway 50 at South Lake Tahoe became a dicey proposition after a snow slide early Sunday morning buried the highway at Meyers Road under a few feet of snow, trapping several vehicles.
“We did think we were going home today but we’re stuck here,” said Lexi Esquivel, 15, a sophomore at Dublin High School staying in Truckee with her family for a snowboarding and winter-recreation getaway.
Nick Muzik shovels snow outside of the Bar of America in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Frank McGorman, of San Carlos, and Michael Shields, of Los Gatos, from left, with Shields’ dogs Jekyll and Hydee, from right, ski down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow on Church Street near the historic Truckee Hotel as snow continues to fall in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Trent Kirschner cross-country skis along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Nick Muzik shovels snow outside of the Bar of America as snow continues to fall in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Interstate 80 remains closed during a blizzard in Truckee, Calif., on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Dimitris Sweeney, right, and his brother-in-law Cole Heer dig out their car along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. They were trying to head to Northstar California Resort to ski and snowboard. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Employees Reed Likly and Amir Entezami, from right, check out the snow in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. They were joking around and unbuttoned their shirts in the cold. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Gas pumps are covered in fresh snow at the Flying A in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Dimitris Sweeney and his brother-in-law Cole Heer Trent Kirschner cross-country skis along Skislope Way in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. They were trying to head to Northstar California Resort to ski and snowboard. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A drone view of a snow-covered downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow near the historic Truckee Hotel as snow continues to fall in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Fred Morgia, of Oakland, and his niece Lexi Esquivel, 15, share a laugh as they prepare to head back to their nearby vacation rental home with her parents Michael and Lesly Esquivel, of Dublin, in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Graham Adeson, foreground, and Brody Kellish, of Truckee, ski down a plowed mound of snow in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
J.J. Morgan clears snow from the front of the historic Truckee Hotel in downtown Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Michael Shields’ dogs Jekyll and Hydee, from right, run down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Angie Tomey, of Truckee, snowshoes down a backcountry trail off Northwoods Boulevard in Truckee, Calif., on Sunday, March 3, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
