Storm clouds blanket the Los Angeles skyline is seen from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. Forecasters issued a flood watch for areas east and southeast of Los Angeles starting Thursday evening because of possible heavy overnight rain fed by an atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) 
A man with an umbrella walks by a worker in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area as the Los Angeles skyline in background on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. Heavy overnight rains in Northern California left two people dead in a submerged car as authorities on Thursday ordered evacuations for a fire-scarred Southern California canyon area because of possible mud and debris flows. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu) 
Crews work at cutting up a large tree that fell across Silverado Canyon Road in Silverado, located in eastern Orange County, Calif., early Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, following an overnight storm that brought heavy rain and wind, knocking over a utility pole as it fell. The canyon areas are under mandatory evacuations following overnight storms that brought heavy rain and mudslides. The December 2020 Bond fire burned much of the the area and left the hills barren and vulnerable rock-filled mudslides. (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register via AP) 
David Hunt, of Silverado Canyon, walks along Grundy Way at the intersection of Water Way in Silverado Canyon, Calif., located in eastern Orange County, stepping over rocks and mud that have washed down the mountain following an overnight storm that brought heavy rain to the area, on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. The December 2020 Bond fire burned much of the the area and left the hills above the canyon barren and vulnerable rock-filled mudslides. (Mark Rightmire/The Orange County Register via AP) 
An airliner takes an approach through storm clouds to Hollywood Burbank Airport, in Burbank, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021. Parts of California are getting a White Christmas after all, with snowfall pounding mountains across the state. Other areas of California, however, saw a wet and rainy Christmas as storms continue to pound the state, causing flash flooding and evacuations in some areas over the holiday period. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) 
Downtown Portland, Ore., and the Tilikum Crossing Bridge were dusted in snow Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. (Dave Killen /The Oregonian via AP) 
Snow had accumulated on a vehicle on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. (Dave Killen /The Oregonian via AP) 
Around half an inch of snow had accumulated on a car’s hood and windshield on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021 in Portland, Ore. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. (Dave Killen /The Oregonian via AP) 
Spoono Ghiefardi shovels a sidewalk outside as snow comes down on downtown Seattle, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. Seattle got between 3 and 5 inches of snow as of Sunday morning. (Ken Lambert /The Seattle Times via AP) 
People enjoy Kite Hill in the snow at Gas Works Park Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Seattle. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. Seattle got between 3 and 5 inches of snow as of Sunday morning. (Ken Lambert /The Seattle Times via AP) 
Noah Neighbor pushes his mountain bike up Kite Hill in the snow at Gas Works Park Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Seattle. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. Seattle got between 3 and 5 inches of snow as of Sunday morning. (Ken Lambert /The Seattle Times via AP) 
Rhia Nnon glides down Kite Hill at Gas Works Park, with downtown Seattle barely visible as snow comes down Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. Snow is blanketing parts of the Pacific Northwest because of unusually cold temperatures. Seattle got between 3 and 5 inches of snow as of Sunday morning. (Ken Lambert /The Seattle Times via AP) 
This image from video provided by Caltrans District 3 shows a closed westbound I-80 on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. The road from Colfax, Calif., to the Nevada state line was closed due to heavy snowfall. (Caltrans District 3, via AP) 
Heavy storm clouds move in over the hills over the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021. The latest in a series of blustery storms hit Southern California with heavy rain and wind that flooded streets and knocked down power lines late Saturday. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
COLFAX, CALIFORNIA |Â A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.
Authorities near Reno said three people were injured in a 20-car pileup on Interstate 395, where drivers described limited visibility on Sunday. Further west, a 70-mile (112-kilometer) stretch of Interstate 80 was shut until at least Monday from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line.
The California Department of Transportation also closed many other roads while warning of slippery conditions for motorists.
“Expect major travel delays on all roads,” the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada, said Sunday on Twitter. “Today is the type of day to just stay home if you can. More snow is on the way too!”
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for greater Lake Tahoe until 1 a.m. Tuesday because of possible “widespread whiteout conditions” and wind gusts that could top 45 mph (72 kph).
Turbulent weather stretched from San Diego to Seattle. More than a foot (0.3 meters) of snow was reported near Port Angeles on Washington state’s Puget Sound. Portland, Oregon received a dusting, but the city was expected to get another 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) by Monday morning, according to the weather service.
In California, rockslides caused by heavy rain closed more than 40 miles (64 kilometers) of coastal Highway 1 in the Big Sur region south of the San Francisco Bay Area. There was no estimate for the reopening of the scenic stretch that is frequently shut after wet weather.
The latest in a series of blustery storms hit Southern California with heavy rain and wind that flooded streets and knocked down power lines late Saturday. Powerful gusts toppled trees, damaged carports and blew a track-and-field shed from a Goleta high school into a front yard two blocks away, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. No injuries were reported.
More than 1.8 inches (4.5 centimeters) of rain fell over 24 hours in Santa Barbara County’s San Marcos pass, while Rocky Butte in San Luis Obispo County recorded 1.61 inches (4 centimeters), the weather service said.
Los Angeles International Airport said a “storm-related electrical issue” forced a partial closure of Terminal 5, causing post-Christmas passengers to divert to other terminals for certain services.
“Cancellations and delays are possible, so it will be important to check your flight status today if flying through Terminal 5,” LAX tweeted.
In the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, crews were repairing a section of State Route 18 that washed down a hillside after heavy rain late Thursday. The closure of the major route into the Big Bear ski resort area could last for weeks, officials said.
The continuing storms were welcomed in parched California, where the Sierra snowpack had been at dangerously low levels after weeks for dry weather. But the state Department of Water Resources reported on Christmas Eve that the snowpack was between 114% and 137% of normal across the range with more snow expected.
Up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) of snow was predicted at the highest elevations of the Sierra.
Before Sunday, 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow already had fallen at Homewood on Lake Tahoe’s west shore. About a foot (30 centimeters) was reported at Northstar near Truckee, California, and 10 inches (25 centimeters) at the Mount Rose ski resort on the southwest edge of Reno.
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