Sierra Mountain Passes Closed as First Major โคSnowstormโ of Season Hits
SACRAMENTO, CA – Several key Sierra Nevada mountain passes are closed through at leastโค noon on Thursday due to heavy snowfall and winter conditions, Caltrans District 10 announced Friday. Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4, Sonora Pass on Highway 108, โand Monitor Pass onโ Highway 89 are all currently shut down as a significant storm system impacts the region.
The โclosuresโ come asโ the Sierra experiences its โฃfirst substantial snowfallโฃ of โthe season,โ a system that began moving across Northernโ California on Monday. caltrans has closed Ebbettsโ Pass from Lakeโค Alpine toโ Raymond Meadows, Sonora Pass from Kennedy โขMeadows toโข the Marine โคCorps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Leavitt Meadows, and the entirety โofโฃ Monitor Pass between Highway 4 south of Markleeville and Highway 395 near Topaz Lake.
“We’ve had โคsnowshowers moveโ over โขthe Sierra starting Monday, and that’s really accumulating Tuesday from โthe early morning into this evening,” said Dakari โฃAnderson,โค a โmeteorologist wiht โคthe National Weather Service’s sacramento office. โ
The National Weather Service forecastsโข rain showers will continue at lower elevations until Wednesday morning, potentially resuming Wednesday night. Higher elevationsโข areโ expected to receive one to seven inches of โขsnow.Snow levels โขbegan at โ6,500 feet โฃon Tuesday and dipped to 5,500 feet โby Wednesdayโ at midnight, before rising again โขto 6,000โค feet by wednesday morning. Due to the mixโ of rain and snow,โฃ officialโ snowfall reportsโข areโค currently unavailable, Anderson โnoted.
Travelers are urged to check currentโข road conditions, chain requirements, andโค any further closures by visiting Caltrans’ online QuickMap at https://quickmap-test.dot.ca.gov/.