SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Thousands were without power on Sunday after a massive winter storm slammed the Pacific Northwest through Monday, dumping nearly 30 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada region and leading to road closures in Northern California.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were more than 20,000 residents without power in Washington state, more than 14,000 without power in California and more than 10,000 without power in Oregon, according to PowerOutage.US.
Several mountain roads were shut down Sunday, including a 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line. The California Department of Transportation tweeted Sunday that there was "low or zero visibility on I-80," according to a report by CBS News.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning for greater Lake Tahoe through early Tuesday morning and warned of "widespread whiteout conditions" and wind gusts that could top 45 mph.
The NWS reported 3.8 inches of snow fell in Seattle, the largest city in Washington. Frigid temperatures are expected to last in the region until Thursday.
"Record lows were set yesterday on Dec. 26," the NWS Seattle tweeted on Monday, noting that it was 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.7 degrees Celsius), breaking the 1948 record of 22 degrees Fahrenheit (-5.6 degrees Celsius). It was 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-12.8 degrees Celsius) in Bellingham, where the previous record was 12 degrees Fahrenheit (-11.1 degrees Celsius) in 1971. Officials urged residents of the Seattle area to stay inside and off the roads if possible.
The NWS in Reno said snow would remain heavy Sunday night into Monday as the next storm pushes through the region.
The NWS in Sacramento warned on Sunday night that mountain travel would continue to be difficult through Monday. Enditem
