Grapevine's closed (Sunday, 1/2, 1 PM) per CHP -

[pinto]

A cold weather front packing chilly rain, gusty winds and heavy snow was moving through Southern California Sunday, spurring California Highway Patrol officials to shut down the Grapevine just before 1 p.m.

CHP officials reported that snow, propelled by winds gusting to 90 mph, was making for treacherous driving along the Grapevine. Authorities closed both northbound and southbound lanes indefinitely. Northbound traffic was being diverted at Parker Road in Castaic, and southbound traffic was closed from the L.A.-Kern county line.

[kestrel91316]

1. They close it, not because it's impassable, but because it is simply too

dangerous to allow Los Angeles drivers up there where they are certain to drive WAY too fast, slam on brakes, suddenly jerk steering wheels, and otherwise violate all commonsense rules of driving in snow.

[DBoon]

2. so why were the southbound lanes closed as well?

nt

[kestrel91316]

4. To keep the southbound Angelenos heading home from somewhere

from causing problems.

I saw video of the freeway - they only got an inch or so of snow, lol, but it's totally shut down. I, of course, know how to drive in those conditions safely (having lived many years where it snows A LOT) but no way I would want to share that road with these yahoos.

[pinto]

3. Update, 7 PM -

The California Highway Patrol reported numerous stranded vehicles and minor accidents along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles late Sunday as falling snow and sleet shut down the Grapevine section of the freeway indefinitely.

Near Magic Mountain, there were reports of multiple cars stuck on the roadway, said CHP Officer Krystal Carter.

State highways 14 and 58 remained open as an alternative route between the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles. But officials said those roads were clogging up with traffic and should be avoided.

"The best bet, if you can, is to hunker down for the night" and avoid traveling through mountain areas, Carter said. "It's pretty bad…and it's going to get worse as the night progresses" and temperatures drop.

The I-5 closure stretched from near Castaic Lake, at the north end of the Santa Clarita Valley, over the mountains to the bottom of the Grapevine, south of Bakersfield. Carter said the road may not reopen until Monday.