Race underway to leave the mountain ahead of next Sierra winter blast
There was a rush to leave the Sierra on Friday as thousands of people headed home to beat the storm.
To make matters worse, traffic on westbound lanes was backed up for miles after a semi-truck overturned near Alta.
Dozens of motorists were seen at the Nyack rest stop waiting out the traffic Friday night. Josh Thompson, a Grass Valley resident, was among the thousands of people stuck in traffic trying to make it home before the next winter blast hits.
"I considered not even coming at all, but yeah, I definitely wanted to get on the road," Thompson said.
While many leave the mountain, people who live there are bracing for more snow. Rhonda Keen, a South Lake Tahoe resident, has lived in Tahoe for nearly 20 years.
"This is the most snow I've seen in my life," Keen said.
She said escaping the snow this year is nearly impossible. While many people avoid being stuck in Tahoe during a winter storm, she avoids leaving home in case she can't get back.
"The same way other people are trying to time how to get to Tahoe, we have to time it how to get away from Tahoe," Keen said.
Caltrans said this weekend will be nearly impossible to travel on I-80. The National Weather Service echoed a similar sentiment, urging the public to reconsider their travel plans through the Sierra.
