Snow restricts travel on Sierra highways east of Fresno. Here’s where you need chains
A winter storm sweeping across California this weekend is dropping snow on the Sierra Nevada east of Fresno, bringing with it road restrictions for drivers on the mountain highways along the eastern flank of the central San Joaquin Valley.
“We’re getting snow levels right now running around 6,000 feet” in elevation, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Bagnall told The Fresno Bee on Saturday morning. “Before this is all over this weekend, we’re expecting to see four to five feet of snow to the north around the Yosemite area, and three to four feet as you move south into Tulare County.”
The Hanford office of the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the mountain range that lasts through early Monday because of the prospect of heavy snowfall coupled with winds gusting to 60 mph in places.
“Heavy snow and strong winds will cause blowing snow, which can make driving conditions dangerous or impossible,” Bagnall said. The combination can create whiteout conditions in which “it’s like driving in heavy fog,” he added, in addition to icy or slippery roads.
The California Highway Patrol and Caltrans announced chain restrictions Saturday morning for mountain highways in eastern Fresno County:
▪ Highway 168 near Tollhouse Road and the community of Pineridge
▪ HIghway 180 east of Dunlap
▪ Highway 245 near Pinehurst
Chain controls also were being set up for Highway 41 at Jackson Road, near the community of Fish Camp in Mariposa County, just north of the Madera County line.
The restrictions require chains or other traction devices on all vehicles except for four- or all-wheel-drive vehicles. Four- and all-wheel-drive vehicles must have snow tires on all four wheels, and must carry chains or traction devices in chain-control areas, according to Caltrans.
The storm is expected to continue to drop snow in the Sierra Nevada and rain on Fresno and the Valley floor through Sunday night into early Monday.
Rainfall totals on the west side of the Valley are expected to reach one-third to one-half inch, with more in locations to the east, Bagnall said.
“It’s a good, wet system,” he added. “In the Fresno area, look for close to an inch of rain, and more as you move into the foothills, maybe a couple of inches.”
