Intense Winter Storm Brings Down Trees and Closes Roads

DOWNIEVILLE - Starting on last Thursday morning a series of snow storms blanketed the western slope of the Sierra Nevada through late on the Tuesday night. As a result, more than three feet of snow fell here over these six days.

Besides making for slippery road conditions here, the snow completely closed I-80 by Sunday and many motorists who wanted to travel east towards Reno were re-routed along Highway 49 without Caltrans turning them around before they reached eastern Yuba County or Sierra County.

Some of the GPS systems sent travelers up the Ridge Road towards Alleghany, claiming they could maker their way east via the Henness Pass road. In fact, many of the vehicles taking this route would have had difficulty on this dirt road even during the summer.

Other intrepid motorists found their way farther along Highway 49 and reached Downieville on Sunday to find the road closed. However, some of their GPS systems pointed them Downieville towards the treacherous Henness Pass route via Galloway Road, a route requiring a 4-wheel drive vehicle throughout the summer.

However, barred from using Galloway by deputies from the Sierra County Sheriff's Office, many of these travelers ended up providing our local lodging establishments with a windfall of unexpected, paying guests.