COLFAX, Calif. — A winter storm hit Northern California over the weekend that brought high winds and snow to the Sierra, creating dangerous travel conditions on the roads.
Some travelers were redirected to turn back at Colfax where Caltrans closed the highway Saturday.
Other major highways leading up to the Sierra also experienced closures due to spinouts and avalanche control operations.
Some drivers who planned on heading up to the snow for the weekend decided to turn around and go home, but others stopped off at nearby gas stations to wait it out.
Heavy winds and snow came down over the mountaintops of Palisades Tahoe and Heavenly Mountain Resort Saturday. The two resorts shared videos of conditions to social media, including one showing the wind tossing the ski lifts around.
Traveler Richard Cassady, from Reno, says he was trying to get home when he was stopped at Colfax due to the road closure. I-80 at Donner Summit was dealing with white out conditions.
"I've got a blanket and we'll catch a couple hours and go home tomorrow," said Cassady.
Despite the gloomy weather in Colfax Saturday night, Cassady is looking on the bright side.
"It's not a good feeling but hey, I like water," he said. "You just can't let this get you down."
Some parts of the Sierra were under an avalanche warning, Saturday.
The Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters and observers monitored conditions and sent out warnings.
"Under high avalanche danger conditions, we recommend that people don't go into avalanche terrain," said Steve Reynaud, an avalanche forecaster with the Sierra Avalanche Center. "Basically, for anybody who goes out into the backcountry: skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, snowshoers."
Reynaud said the team monitors the snow pack everyday. A crew saw avalanche activity at Andesite Peak as well, Saturday.
"We're physically digging into the snow, monitoring the different layers of storms that come in," he said. "We get these large loads of new snow and we have avalanche activity after that."
For the latest on road closures and travel conditions, check out Caltrans QuickMap or ABC10's live coverage of this storm HERE.
Watch more from ABC10: Strong winds, rain affect Sacramento region
