Snow Prompts Closure Of 5 Freeway Through Grapevine
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The main highway between Southern and Central
California was shut down Monday in both directions as blowing snow and ice from another winter storm.
The Grapevine area of Interstate 5 was closed indefinitely around 1 p.m. Sunday after cars began sliding in lanes, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ed Jacobs. No major crashes were reported.
Vehicles were being detoured onto routes 14 and 58 through Lancaster and Mojave, though snow was also falling and threatening closures there, Jacobs said.
A SigAlert was in effect for the northbound Golden State (5) Freeway at Smokey Bear Road outside the Angeles National Forest to Parker Road in Castaic.
The Lake Hughes Road, Templin Highway and Parker on-ramps were closed and traffic would be turned south at Parker, the CHP said Monday.
The CHP reported heavy snow that started to stick overnight on the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway at Agua Dulce.
Winds were gusting to 90 miles in mountain areas and snow was accumulating at elevations as low as 1,500 feet. Between four and eight inches was expected in some areas.
Forecasters said six inches was likely in Lancaster and at other spots on the Antelope Valley floor, which is about 2,300 feet above sea level.
By mid-afternoon on Sunday, heavy snow made driving difficult in the Santa Clarita area, and steady rain had moved across the coastal plains and valleys.
More than an inch of rain was expected in the Los Angeles area through Monday, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.
It's the latest in a series of winter storms that saturated Southern California for much of December.
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