Heavy traffic on I80 with chain controls; US50 to South Lake Tahoe much easier drive

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - `With holiday travelers and a Winter Weather Advisory both headed to Lake Tahoe, expect delays on the roads.

On I80 near Donner Lake westbound traffic is at a dead stop as drivers head towards chain controls and snow. As of 11:00 a.m. Monday the controls are in place from Kingvale to the Donner Lake interchange with those expected to expand as the storm enters the region.

On the South end, US50 between Placerville and South Lake Tahoe, there are no controls in place, just wet roads and some traffic, especially between Sierra-at-Tahoe and Meyers. When the ski resort closes for the day expect that stretch to be very heavy with traffic. On Sunday night, traffic came to a complete stop for much of that drive and that was without snow or controls in place.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno there is a Winter Weather Advisory in place from Monday morning through 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Day. Snow is expected with total snow accumulations of 1 to 6 inches, except 6 to 15 inches above 7000 feet expected. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph over Sierra ridges.

Snow levels will start around 6500-7000 feet Monday afternoon, rapidly falling to below 5500 feet behind a cold front Monday evening. Travel could be very difficult.
The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage.

Caltrans has a new feature on their road app and website that show where snowplows are located in the Sierra, including Lake level roads. Their map also shows Waze traffic alerts. More info on the customizable map is available here - http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.