What happened at Donner Pass in 1846-47 is one of the most tragic stories inthe history of our country. A group of pioneers traveling west experienced manydelays along the way and wound up getting snowbound in the High Sierra. If theycould have just made it another 40 miles they would have been safe.The snowstorms were relentless that season, and the group of settlers (referredto as the Donner Party) spent the entire winter at the pass named in theirmemory. The most horrific part of the story was that some of the emigrantsresorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Out of the 87 members of the originalwagon train, only 48 survived to reach California.
The snow that comes to the Sierra Nevada range from November on is often quiteheavy, dumping as much as 2 to 3 feet in a 24-hour period. Snow of thismagnitude will often close Interstate 80 over Donner Summit (elevation 7,000feet).
When this type of excessive snow falls, plows become useless, and snow removalfrom railroad tracks and highways is done by massive rotary snow blowers thatlook like something out of prehistoric times.
Beginning Friday night and lasting into Sunday, the Sierra Nevada range will besubjected to one of these big snow events. The storm will unfold as much colderair arrives in the upper atmosphere, while a storm pulls in very moist air fromthe Pacific. The snow will be very heavy at times, and I-80 over Donner Summitmay close. Total storm accumulations will range from 6-12 inches at 6,000 feetto 18 to 24 inches at 7,000 feet.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
