LOS ANGELES: A powerful winter storm battered the western United States on Monday, dumping much-needed snow on the drought-parched mountains of California, but causing travel misery over a wide area.

Three feet (one metre) of snow had fallen in 24 hours on parts of the Sierra Nevada range, taking this month’s total to a record-breaking 16 feet, and bolstering the badly depleted snowpack that feeds the region’s reservoirs.

“We were definitely not expecting a wet winter,” said Dr. Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the Central Sierra Nevada Snow Laboratory at UC Berkeley, California.

“It just so happens that we ended up with a lot more snow this year than we expected, which is a pleasant surprise, of course,” Schwartz said.

Part of the main highway from San Francisco to Reno remained closed on Tuesday for a third day due to record-setting snow in the Lake Tahoe area after a winter storm blasted across northern California and Nevada.

A snow-choked highway shut down on Sunday from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California, although Caltrans said U.S. 50 reopened late Monday for vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive.

And with temperatures in normally mild Seattle dropping well below freezing, Kaety West walked a short distance in the snow from the tent where she usually stays to find refuge at a small warming centre at an American Legion hall.

"Im not even willing to stay in it right now. Its just so difficult," she said of her tent.

The US west has suffered years of pitiful rainfall, leaving vast swaths of the countryside parched and vulnerable to wildfire.

It is too soon to declare the drought over, said Schwartz, but “it looks like the western United States is getting some help”.

The immediate impact of the storm was less positive, with tens of thousands of people experiencing electricity outages and roads blocked.

Pacific Gas and Electric reported power lines had been felled by the fierce weather, with more still to come.

“Winter storm system forecasted to bring more snow, rain & wind — electric and vegetation crews have restored service to nearly 50000 customers since Christmas morning and are prepared to respond to potential outages ahead,” the utility said on social media.

In Seattle, in northern Washington state, heavy snow was causing delays and cancellations for travelers, with airport operators having to remove ice from planes, as the city suffered under plunging temperatures.

“After a year of unprecedented challenges, Seattle is facing a long duration of dangerously cold temperatures & snow,” tweeted Mayor Jenny Durkan.

“We’ve declared an emergency to allow Seattle to marshal full resources required to protect residents, provide warm spaces & support our frontline workers.” Much of Oregon was also under a winter storm warning, with a further blanketing of snow expected overnight Monday.

Emergency shelters

With temperatures in western Washington and Oregon not forecast to rise above freezing for days, officials were planning on keeping emergency shelters for longer than initially expected.

Seattle leaders said city shelters will remain open through the new year. At the shelter where West went to get warm, American Legion Hall Post 160, there was room for about a dozen people.

Keith Hughes of the American Legion said the capacity is limited by lack of volunteer staff.

“Volunteers, this is a problem for myself as well as everyone else in town, its really hard to get with COVID going on,” he said, adding there were plans to keep the space open for 10 days.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2021