SITUATION REPORT
Incident: Winter Weather Update

March 5, 2023
8:00 p.m.

KEY ISSUES/CONCERNS
Cold, Windy, Snowstorm Expected to Continue into Monday: The recent storm brought strong
winds and moderate-to-heavy snowfall throughout most of the day, triggering whiteout
conditions on roads and in communities, and once again slowing snow removal efforts. The
storm is forecast to weaken overnight and slowly exit the region tomorrow. Residents and
visitors are discouraged from travel unless necessary.

More Caltrans Crews Arriving; Will Help With Snow Removal: In response to the local and
statewide emergency declarations, the Mono County Office of Emergency Management has been notified that Caltrans crews and equipment will be arriving today and tomorrow to support local storm recovery efforts. Approximately 25 people and 20 additional pieces of equipment are expected to arrive over the next two days. This will include: Two crews to Bridgeport area; graders and plow trucks focused on S.R. 167 from Hawthorne and U.S. 395 over Conway and plow trucks assigned to Lee Vining/June Lake. Plows and graders will be based in Bishop and work McGee/Mammoth/Lee Vining/S.R. 266. They will also be hauling snow out of Mammoth, June Lake, Lee Vining, and Bridgeport. These crews can be shifted based on need. The plan is for them to be here for two weeks, working 24-hour shifts.

Power Restoration: Power was restored to Mono City, southern Bridgeport, the Conway Ranch
area, and other properties along the U.S. 395 corridor from just north of Lee Vining yesterday.
Temporary outages may occur over the next few days as Southern California Edison (SCE) works to balance the circuits and energize remaining customers; customers are urged to take actions to protect wells and other vulnerable facilities.

TEMPORARY SHELTERS/REDUCED INN RATES FOR EVACUEES
Warming Center: A Warming Center/Shelter has been set up in Bridgeport at Memorial Hall (73 N School Street). Three meals a day are being served. Call 760-924-4633 for more information.

Reduced Rates for Evacuees at The Carson Valley Inn: The Carson Valley Inn will be honoring a
rate of $89 plus tax in the main hotel until March 31, for anyone displaced or without power.
This is subject to availability. No pets. Call 1-800-321-6983 for reservations.

EMERGENCY ALERTS
The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the current storm from 2 p.m. Saturday, March 4th to 4 a.m. Monday, March 6th

The Town of Mammoth Lakes has declared a Local State of Emergency.
Governor Newson has declared a State of Emergency for Mono County and several other
counties impacted by the storm. The county is also pursuing a federal declaration of emergency.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
The storm is forecast to continue into the overnight hours tonight before slowly weakening and
exiting the region Monday. Tomorrow is forecast to be unsettled, cold, and windy with sporadic, moderate-to-light snow showers. This unsettled pattern is forecast to continue into Wednesday, with a partial break Thursday and Friday.

TRAFFIC/ROAD CONDITIONS
U.S. 395 is now open from the junction of U.S. 395 and S.R. 203 to Bishop and points south, but remains closed from the junction to Bridgeport due to whiteout conditions. That closure will continue through the night.

There is no estimate for opening the section of U.S. 395 north of Lee Vining where a series of
avalanches took out transmission facilities and crossed the road, burying sections of the road
under 30-40 feet of snow and debris. Caltrans and SCE crews are on standby and will access the
avalanche area as soon as it is safe to do so; access was delayed again today due to weather. The
section of 395 under the avalanches will remain closed until it is safe to evaluate the slides,
stabilize the slopes and remove the metal retaining fence and other debris. The best estimate is
the road will be closed in that area for at least next week and perhaps longer.
S.R. 167 from U.S. 395 to the Nevada state line is closed.

Benton Crossing Road is closed.

UTILITIES
SCE was able to energize the Lundy Power Plant and provide power to its customers from north
of Lee Vining to the southern half of Bridgeport yesterday. Caltrans, SCE and County crews
worked through the day today to bring the rest of Bridgeport online but were slowed by high
winds and whiteout conditions. The hope is to restore power to the northern part of Bridgeport
tomorrow.

RESOURCES
Mono County Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/countyofmono
National Weather Service – Reno: https://www.weather.gov/reno
CHP Activity – Mono/Inyo Counties: https://cad.chp.ca.gov/Traffic.aspx
Easter Sierra Avalanche Center: https://www.esavalanche.org/

Mono County Webcams: https://www.monocounty.org/plan-your-trip/weather-and-road-
conditions/webcams-in-mono-county/

Caltrans – Road Information: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php