California’s Sierra Nevada slammed by blustery weekend storm

A blustery weekend storm added to California’s big mountain snowpack, leaving icy conditions in the Sierra Nevada early Monday.

Chains were required on sections of Sierra highways, but a backcountry avalanche warning for the greater Lake Tahoe area expired around sunrise.

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For a time on Sunday, about 74 miles of U.S. 395 were closed due to whiteout conditions, according to the California Department of Transportation.

The storm dropped 16 inches to 24 inches of snow at Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra and the season total so far at its main lodge surpassed 400 inches, the resort’s website said.

“It is incredibly cold out there,” the resort said.