COLFAX (CBS13) – On Mother’s Day, people driving through Donner Summit needed more than flowers for mom once chain controls went into effect as snow hit the Sierra.
Colfax saw a wintry mix with mostly rain on and off during the day. So, it was a surprise to some drivers traveling up the mountain to find snow and ice hitting their windshields.
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“Yeah, it’s waiting,” said Mark McNabb, a resident of Nevada. “So, drive very slowly and carefully.”
Caltrans’s video shows slush building on the highways creating slick conditions. Wind was another concern for drivers as it blew snow, reducing visibility.
“The biggest thing: slow down,” said John Major, a chain installer along I-80 east before Nyack.
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Seth Hartigan of Nevada traveled to see family for Mother’s Day. Upon returning home, he said he was caught off-guard with no chains.
“My concern is they won’t let me through without them,” he said.
At one point, ice pelted the area as snowdrifts created a white-knuckle drive throughout the Sierra.
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“Coming back, it started around 2 o’clock [with] flurries,” said Dennis Donavan of Vacaville. He took his wife on a Mother’s Day weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe. “And then, we got to Donner Summit, it was nasty.”