Caltrans closing three Northern California mountain passes as winter storm moves in
Caltrans crews are going to temporarily close three Sierra Nevada mountain passes for at least two days starting Thursday afternoon as a winter storm moves through Northern California and drops some snow in the higher elevations.
At noon on Thursday, road crews will close Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4 and Sonora Pass on Highway 108, Caltrans District 10 announced on its Twitter page Wednesday morning. Crews will close Monitor Pass on Highway 89 at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Caltrans officials said the closures were necessary to ensure motorist safety in advance of the storm, and they will consider reopening the mountain passes after reevaluating weather and road conditions on Saturday.
The National Weather Service in Sacramento said up to 2 inches of snow could fall over the Ebbetts and Sonora passes through Friday.
The Sacramento Valley is expected to see little to no rain from this storm as it moves into the region Thursday. Sacramento can expect a 30% chance of rain Thursday and Friday, according to the Weather Service. Its downtown Sacramento climate site hasn’t received measurable rainfall in that area since March 19, while other areas of Sacramento received some rain on Sept. 10.
Gusty winds and dry conditions are expected to be prevalent early next week in the Sacramento region, and the Weather Service reminded residents to practice fire safety.
