Storm Wets The Mother Lode

A winter cold front sweeping across California on Saturday brought rain, high winds and up to a foot of snow to the Sierra Nevada.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning through late afternoon for the Lake Tahoe area south to Mammoth Lakes.

Rachael Woods, a spokeswoman for Alpine Meadows ski resort near Lake Tahoe, said the storm began dumping snow on the resort Friday night. By mid-morning Saturday, it had 12 inches of snow at the 7,500-foot level.

Chain controls were in effect for motorists on Highway 50 and Interstate 80, the two main routes for Californians headed to Tahoe.

The storm also knocked down electrical lines in several Northern California counties, leaving nearly 10,800 customers without power.

The storm was expected to move into Southern California on Saturday night before heading Sunday toward Arizona.