Across the Tahoe region were snow has piled up as high as the second story of manhy homes, trapped residents were trying to dig out during a brief lull in the historic onslaught of winter weather.
Even though an avalanche warning had expired, officials warned that the hillsides remain unstable.
Tons of snow roared into an occupied three-story apartment building in Olympic Valley near the Palisades Tahoe ski resort Tuesday evening, forcing evacuations of nearby dwellings. According to a Placer County sheriff's office Facebook post, the avalanche struck around 7 p.m. and was 200 yards wide and 25 feet deep."We couldn't even get out of our own driveway so we just grabbed our backpacks the kids, the wife and the dog and walked back to the village," Olympic Valley resident Randy Rogers said.
Even through the lure of skiing in deep powder was strong, Placer County Sheriff PIO Angela Musallam begged visitors to stay away to allow authorities time to dig the region and residents out. "People who are traveling from out of the area, we are really discouraging travel to these back country areas," she said."The next storm is poised to arrive Saturday with increasing winds during the morning -- with 100+ mph gusts again for Sierra ridges -- followed by another push of snow for all elevations during the day," forecasters said. 'Peak snowfall rates are currently most likely Saturday night into Sunday morning.
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