Heavy white blanket of snow coats Sierra on St. Patrick's Day
TRUCKEE – Heavy snow is expected for most of St. Patrick's Day on Monday in the Sierra Nevada as another storm system moves through Northern California.
For the Sacramento Valley, some precipitation and thunderstorms are possible through the evening hours.
The high country is where a good chunk of the weather action will be, however.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the Northern Sierra until 11 p.m. Monday, with around 4-10" of snow expected for the 4,500' and up to 2' of snow possible for elevations above the 5,000' mark.
Strong wind gusts of up to 50 mph are also expected.
As of Monday morning, chain controls are already in effect on both Interstate 80 and Highway 50. The I-80 controls are from 2.1 miles east of Baxter to Hirschdale Road eastbound and from Truckee to 3.4 miles east of Gold Run westbound.
Highway 50's chain controls are in effect from Twin Bridges to Meyers.
Authorities like the National Weather Service are warning that visibility could be a problem, thus they are discouraging travel.
