FILE: Motorists make their way over Emigrant Gap along Highway 80 below Donner Summit, Calif.
Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesJust before midnight March 29, the road opened for drivers on Interstate 80 en route to Tahoe from the Bay Area, and on March 30, Caltrans told SFGATE that it lifted its tire chain requirements for the interstate.
These are promising signs for visiting the Sierra Nevada this weekend following the latest atmospheric rivert, when San Francisco added hail to its list of weather phenomena experienced this winter.
Both I-80 and Route 50 are open to drivers with no chain controls. However, once in Tahoe, the California Highway Patrol is requiring chains on state Route 267 from Northstar to Kings Beach and state Route 28 from Tahoe City to Kings Beach.
Chains are also required on state Route 89 from Truckee to Tahoe City, and the road is still closed at Emerald Bay for both directions because of an avalanche hazard. There is no estimated time to open.
Bay Area drivers can expect weather hazard-free driving conditions to start the weekend, but Chris Smallcomb from the Reno office of the National Weather Service advises drivers to prepare for a storm to hit later in the weekend, which could cause trouble for returning home.
“We are expecting another storm coming this weekend for the Sierra. It’s a tricky deal where people can get up the mountain just fine. Friday and Saturday are decent. But a storm is coming Sunday and Monday,” Smallcomb said. “It’s a scenario where you’ll get there OK, but err on the side of caution by heading home early on Sunday.”
The weather service is not predicting a huge storm, but it's expected to be large enough to create issues on I-80 or Route 50 coming home.
“Our best guess is 6 inches in Truckee and maybe a foot and half at Donner Pass,” Smallcomb said. “Compared to this winter, it’s on the low end, but it’s enough to cause a mess with chains and delays on the roads.”