Crews in Southern California worked to clear major roads Friday morning after a winter storm pummeled the state with snow and ice for the second straight night.
Interstate 5 through the Grapevine Pass north of Los Angeles finally reopened late Friday morning after being closed for about 36 hours, according to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The California Highway Patrol was escorting motorists over the pass.
Interstate 15 was closed in both directions at the Nevada state line Friday morning, where crews worked to remove 3 feet of snow and ice. It was also reopened later in the day.
Holiday travelers were stuck in hours-long traffic jams as they sought alternate routes or got caught up in hazardous road conditions. Some slept overnight in their cars.
"It's awesome, it's beautiful out here. But you don't want to be stuck like the way I was stuck," a man who was traveling from Los Angeles to Bakersfield told KABC.
A 60-year-old woman was killed Thursday when the car she was riding in went off a snowy road and crashed into an embankment in San Diego County, The Associated Press reported.
The system, which has been named Winter Storm Gage by The Weather Channel, is expected to bring heavy snow, ice and potential blizzard conditions to parts of the Plains this weekend as it moves out of the Southwest.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department rescued two motorists who became stuck while off-roading in the San Bernardino National Forest Thursday afternoon. Weather conditions prohibited a search by air, but a bulldozer blazed a five-mile trail through several feet of snow to reach them, according to a press release.
Hundreds of vehicles got stuck on interstates and thousands of customers lost electricity on Thursday.
Snow and ice caused about 150 cars and trucks to get stuck on I-5 late Wednesday night, according to KCBS.
The California Highway Patrol said a driver was found dead about 8:30 a.m. inside a semitractor trailer on a part of I-5 that was closed overnight, KABC reported. A cause of death hasn't been announced.
Johnny Lim was stuck for five hours in Cajon Pass. He worried his car wouldn't make it to Las Vegas when the pass reopened.
"The freeway is full of snow and ice," he told the Associated Press on Thursday, adding that his car "is not built for conditions like this."
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At lower elevations, the problem was rain.
A 52-year-old man had to be rescued from 3 to 6 feet of water in the Sepulveda Basin in Van Nuys at about 2:15 a.m. Thursday, according to the L.A. Times.
A tree was pulled out of the soggy ground in Woodland Hills and damaged the entrance of an apartment building, KABC reported. It also blocked all lanes of Burbank Boulevard.
In Lynwood, a tree crashed down on two families' homes.
"About 2, 3 in the morning, it was raining pretty hard at the time. Not sure when I heard the loud noise if it was lightning or a car crash. When I stepped outside, I was able to see a big tree on top of my house," homeowner Andy Cisneros told KABC.
Tornado warnings were issued for parts of the Santa Barbara County coast and parts of Orange County late Wednesday night. No damage was reported.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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