Mild weather cities get dose of winter
PORTLAND, Ore. — Snow, ice and shivering cold blasted normally mild weather cities from Seattle to Las Vegas to San Francisco on Tuesday as the winter storms sweeping across the U.S. West shuttered schools, made travel treacherous and closed all roads in Yosemite National Park.
Winter storms have been hitting the West for several days and brought a surprise dusting to peaks overlooking San Francisco — the city’s first notable snow in eight years.
Yosemite’s ski area closed, restaurants had shorter hours and shuttles were not running because of snow-covered roads.
“It’s beautiful, and we certainly need the snow, but we’re asking people to stay indoors,” park spokesman Scott Gediman said.
California is still recovering from a drought that led to tight water restrictions and contributed to severe wildfires.
Temperatures plunged into the teens in Seattle overnight, making roads slick, and schools throughout the area shut down for a second day.
Unusual snow fell a day earlier, causing crashes and canceling flights, and lowerthan-normal temperatures were expected throughout the week.
Portland, Ore., residents awoke to unexpected overnight snowfall that closed schools and left some higher elevation roads slick for the morning commute.
In Nevada, the National Weather Service reported light snow in northwest Las Vegas.
More than 3 feet of snow has fallen at the top of some Lake Tahoe ski resorts in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 6 feet since storms began Saturday.
An 80-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada closed for the second day, from the California-Nevada line just west of Reno to Colfax, Calif., east of Sacramento.