Both sides of the 5 Freeway along the Grapevine were reopened hours after heavy snow forced two full closures Thanksgiving Day.
California Highway Patrol again closed down all lanes of the 5 Freeway through the Grapevine at about 8 p.m. before reopening both sides about two hours later.
The second closure came after reports of cars getting stuck during heavy snowfall, and just five hours after officers had started letting motorists through after heavy snow forced a 4:30 a.m. closure of the freeway, which connects Los Angeles County and San Joaquin Valley.
Many motorists had just hit the road for the holiday and video showed traffic backed up for miles.
The Grapevine was forecast to see 3 to 6 inches of snow.
Snow levels were expected to drop as low as 2,500 feet in some areas of Southern California.
Most mountain areas will receive about 6 to 12 inches of snow through Friday, according to the National Weather Service. The San Gabriel Mountains could see 1 to 2 feet of snow.
High Desert communities were also dumped with snow on Thanksgiving. That includes the Palmdale and Lancaster areas, which received an amount of snow forecasters said they haven’t seen since 2011.
I-5 UPDATE 11/28 @ 8:20 PM:
I-5 is now FULLY CLOSED for an unknown duration. NB 5: all lanes closed at Lake Hughes Rd and SB 5 all lanes closed at Grapevine. Below is the suggested alternate route. Current road conditions can be found at https://t.co/cxZ0jVPIRf pic.twitter.com/A6V5rLLwqd
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) November 29, 2019
I-5 is now FULLY OPEN in northbound and southbound directions. Please proceed with caution, SLOW DOWN, and get to your destinations safely for Thanksgiving dinner. If you plan on driving through the pass later tonight, check out these tips ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lxfLhish4Q
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) November 28, 2019