PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Drivers who live in the Sierra are bracing for the worst of this weekend’s winter storm as snow levels are supposed to drop overnight.
"If you're not up there already, I mean definitely get home soon if that's where you live. Otherwise, I'm sure you know by later on in the night it's going to be very difficult to get up the hill,” said Travis Cleverley.
Cleverley, who lives up I-80, says although the roads are drivable now, that doesn’t mean conditions will stay the same. Weather can be unpredictable.
"It's in an instant. I mean one second it could be raining and then all of a sudden — especially when you're going up the hill — you could run into some snow or something and it's tough,” said Cleverley.
And in an instant, westbound I-80 was completely shut down for a few hours on Friday afternoon after a big rig crash near Secret Town in Placer County.
Down the road at the Applegate exit is where truck drivers were being stopped and checked for chains.
Patricia Rene, who lives in Applegate, says it’s better to stay off the roads if you run the risk of a shutdown.
"The large trucks start parking off to the side. The frontage roads will be blocked within a mile and sometimes they shut the road down, so if I were you, I wouldn't come up here this way if you can help it. Everybody that lives here needs to stay home,” said Rene.
Officials are asking people to carry chains with them in their vehicles just in case you need them. The price of them is likely to increase as you get to stores closer to the snow.
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