Stretch of I-80 shut down as monster blizzard dumps snow on mountains in California and Nevada

By SCOTT SONNER AND STEFANIE DAZIO
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) — California authorities shut down 100 miles of Interstate 80 on Friday as the biggest snow storm of the season bore down on the Sierra Nevada. Authorities closed the interstate in both directions after 5 p.m. on a day most ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were closed. Visitors to Yosemite National Park were also told to leave Friday and a tornado touched down in central California. A blizzard warning is in effect through Sunday for a 300-mile stretch of the mountain range and authorities are urging people to take shelter and stay off the roads. Meteorologists predict up to 10 feet of snow could fall in some higher elevations.