I-80 Slippery With Snow, Traffic Slows To Crawl, Thunderstorm, Fog Warnings Issued

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued several warnings Sunday about thunderstorms and fog affecting areas that are part of Interstate-80 (I-80), which saw various closing and reopening of certain sections over the past few days because of constant spinouts and collision of vehicles, due to the slippery roads.

NWS warned dense fog could be expected north of I-80 toward Monday morning. The warning added heavy rain was possible Monday morning through Tuesday night. Thunderstorms were also expected in the region late Sunday and early Monday. These will be south of I-80. The regions for where the warnings were issued include north central Illinois, northwest Illinois, west central Illinois, east central Iowa, northeast Iowa, southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri.

Apart from these areas, traffic along I-80 in Sierra Nevada, California, were severely affected by a winter storm. Multiple spinouts and collisions led to the closing of westbound I-80 at Donner Lake Road in Truckee, California, and traffic was being diverted. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) warned drivers about limited visibility and slippery road conditions most of Sunday, and motorists were asked to use other routes.

MyNetworkTV-affiliated KRON4News reported high winds, icy conditions and blowing snow were causing spinouts at many spots, which led to backing up of traffic in the area. Westbound motorists lined up for about a mile on Donner Pass Road in an attempt to access the interstate. Those attempting to get to Tahoe Donner resort, California, did so by accessing Donner Trail Road, and then moving up to Northwoods Boulevard via backroads.

Sierra Sun reported one motorist, who was heading down Donner Trail Road toward Donner Pass Road on Sunday, lost control of his car and drove into a ditch. The driver was reportedly not injured.

Slowdowns occurred in both directions between Colfax, California, and Nevada, SFGate reported.

NWS issued a weather advisory for the entire I-80 and Highway 50 corridors through Tahoe Basin and added slippery conditions of roads might persist till Monday as they are untreated. Chain controls took effect Sunday night. Authorities said chains were required on all vehicles, expect 4-wheelers with snow tires, from Nyack Road, Placer County, to Nevada state line on the interstate.

Eastbound traffic was held at Kingvale in Placer County, California.

The NWS forecasted there would be snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches most of Sunday night and Monday morning. West winds would be up to 65 miles per hour, which would make conditions dangerous for drivers, and may decrease after the midnight to about 30 miles per hour. NWS also predicted there would be snow showers Monday evening.

The weather service said fog and drizzle are creating low visibilities and slippery roadways from the summit east through Cheyenne, Wyoming, including I-80.

Lanes along I-80 in Venango county and Mercer county in Pennsylvania were closed Saturday after a multi-vehicle crash occurred around 7 p.m. EST. The crash reportedly occurred due to slippery conditions. The lanes were opened late Saturday.

Caltrans tweeted safety measures to follow if people were travelling during such conditions.