Mount Baldy Road in the San Gabriel Mountains remained closed Tuesday after the first major snow storm of the season stranded people in their cars there overnight.
Crews continued to plow away the snow, and the roadway was closed, despite a morning report from the California Highway Patrol that it had reopened at Shinn Road. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department also confirmed that Mount Baldy Road remains closed.
Many people were braving the icy conditions to get a taste of the snow, with some Southland mountain areas seeing as much as 20 inches, and that congestion — combined with snow-filled roadways — led to about 100 vehicles getting stuck Monday evening at the road’s closure at Shinn Road.
Los Angeles County Fire Department plows also got stuck and couldn’t reach the area at about 10 p.m., officials reported.
Signs had been posted warning that chains were required, but CHP officers said many drivers ignored the warning. Broadcast reports from the scene Monday night and Tuesday morning showed dozens of vehicles with families inside that were stopped or spinning on the road.
Snow-forecast.com reported that 10.2 inches of snow fell at the Mount Baldy ski resort through Tuesday morning.