Winter wake up call: Snow falls along I-80 in Sierra high country, Soda Springs
SODA SPRINGS -- A quick blast of winter weather took over the Sierra high country along Interstate 80 Monday evening. It was the first snowfall of the season to make an impact outside of the mountain passes.
The snow centered mostly in Soda Springs with just rain falling before and after the Donner Pass.
It was a winter wake-up call that came too early for some locals.
"I kind of see this as the beginning of the end," said Matt Hogan of Soda Springs.
Hogan said in Tahoe, there are really only two seasons: winter and everything else.
"We had a pretty short season, so I got to say it was a week or two longer. This is Tahoe, this is summit life. This is what we live for," said Hogan.
Rain turned to snow quickly along Interstate 80 Monday night in the higher elevations with a winter weather advisory in effect through Tuesday.
Drivers were feeling the slick slush of the wintry mix Monday.
"I didn't have much grip and I've just got to drive safer, be more wary," said driver Kaden Maldonado.
Maldonado and his passengers are safe but crashed off the road in Soda Springs.
It's a reminder for everyone to slow down. CHP Truckee said it responded to several spinouts Monday, including a car overturned off the road.
"We had two cars come off the on-ramp and crash into our resort already. The conditions are bad," said Blaize Thomson, a Boreal Ski Resort employee who lives in Soda Springs.
Before the conditions get even worse, Caltrans has been on a months-long race to repair the roads in an emergency project along Interstate 80.
They've been working to fix the ruts and cracks left behind by chains destroying the roads last winter.
"It was an unprecedented year for the amount of chain wear, the restrictions we saw in place, the snow we saw," said Jeremy Linder, spokesperson for Caltrans District 3.
Now, this early November winter blast has put a pause on crews laying new concrete.
"We've done a lot of work. We've done as much as we can, but we know it's not complete," said Linder. "They're just trying to play the juggling act and get as much of the high-priority areas as possible."
That push comes before the snow is here to stay as locals get ready for the long haul.
"It's clearing everything you're going to have to snow blow and dig out all your roof areas, making sure you have de-icer, stacking wood, burning wood," said Hogan.
True to Tahoe, it's a November preview of what's only just down the road.
