PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Folks in towns with 1,000 foot elevations saw some snow as cold, unstable air moved overhead.
Some snow made it even to the Valley floor on Highway 99, south of Chico. Total accumulation at some of the steady, low snow locations like Jackson, Placerville and Grass Valley will be close to four inches.
School districts began announcing delays for Tuesday late Monday night.
A long stretch of Interstate 80 that had been closed for two days due to blizzard conditions in California's Sierra Nevada has reopened as a fierce winter storm moves east. Still, travel remained limited Tuesday to only vehicles with snow tires or chains between the California-Nevada state line near Reno and Colfax, east of Sacramento.
The travel restrictions also remained in place for mountain passes around Lake Tahoe, where more than 3 feet (1 meter) of snow has fallen in the past 24 hours and a backcountry avalanche warning has been issued. City officials in South Lake Tahoe say snow was falling early Tuesday at a rate of 2 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 centimeters) per hour.
Update 5p: Snow ending overnight. Valley lows will drop to near or slightly below freezing by early Wednesday. We'll have dry weather through Thursday, but an active weather pattern returns Friday with more rain and snow through this upcoming weekend. Commuters should also be cautious of black ice in the foothills. The melted snow will re-freeze overnight with temperatures in the 20's. One rule of thumb is that if it looks shiny and wet, assume it's ice. Take it slow and use caution in the morning.
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