Sonora, CA – Stormy weather heading into the Sierra Nevada will close two of the mountain passes and no reopening date has been given.
The approaching potential weather has forced the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to schedule the closure of Highway 108/Sonora Pass and Highway 4 Ebbetts Pass at noon on Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory as snow showers are expected to increase late tonight and Thursday and may impact travel over the higher passes by Thursday evening. Up to 4 to 6 inches of snow could be dumped above 6,000 feet, according to the weather service. Caltrans has relayed that there is no estimated time when the passes will be reopened.
With the Memorial Day Weekend, a little over a week away, Clarke Broadcasting questioned if the passes will be reopened in time. Caltrans District 10 spokesperson Bob Highfill replied, “Once the storm passes, our crews have to go up there to just make sure the roads are safe and cleared any debris. Once that is accomplished, the passes will reopen, and we anticipate that being well before Memorial Day Weekend.”
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Written by Tracey Petersen.
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