By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JULIE WATSON
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Search and rescue crews were looking for multiple backcountry skiers feared missing Tuesday after a reported avalanche in Northern California as a powerful winter storm moved through the state, authorities said.
Related Articles
New Mexico legislators launch investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s secluded ranch Police in Nancy Guthrie investigation say glove DNA didn’t match anything in national database Police arrest man who ran toward the US Capitol building holding a shotgun Bayer agrees to $7.25 billion proposed settlement over thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits Driver fleeing ICE officers crashes, killing a Georgia teacher, authorities sayThe Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at about 11:30 a.m. reporting an avalanche with people buried, said Ashley Quadros, a department spokesperson.
The sheriff’s office, the sheriff’s Search & Rescue team and a crew with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection responded to the area of Castle Peak, which is northwest of Lake Tahoe, Quadros said.
“It has been reported that a group of back country skiers was involved in the incident, with several members of the party missing at this time,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.
California is being walloped this week by a powerful winter storm carrying treacherous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow in mountain areas.
According to the Sierra Avalanche Center based in Truckee, the area in the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Greater Lake Tahoe region, was facing high avalanche danger in the backcountry with large slides expected to occur Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Several ski resorts around Lake Tahoe were fully or partially closed due to the extreme weather.
Snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)The dangerous conditions were caused by rapidly accumulating snowfall, weakening snowpack layers and gale-force winds. Ski areas or highways where avalanche mitigation programs exist were not expected to be at as high of a risk, the center said.
Castle Peak, a 9,110-foot peak in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada, is a popular backcountry skiing destination. In the nearby town of Soda Springs, at least 30 inches of snow had fallen in the last 24 hours, according to the Soda Springs Mountain Resort.
Forecasters said the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in northern Shasta County — including portions of Interstate 5 — and parts of the state’s Pacific Coast Range could see up to 8 feet of snow before the storm moves through late Wednesday.
Snow falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Truckee Calif. (AP Photos/Brooke Hess-Homeier)The storm wreaked havoc on roadways spanning from Sonoma County to the Sierra Nevada. Traffic was halted temporarily in both directions on I-80 near the Nevada state line due to spinouts and crashes, the California Department of Transportation reported.
In January, an avalanche in the region buried a snowmobiler in snow and killed him, authorities said. Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center.
Watson reported from San Diego.
Hence then, the article about crews search for backcountry skiers after avalanche reported in california mountains was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Crews search for backcountry skiers after avalanche reported in California mountains )
Also on site :
- BGIS 2026 Round 4 Day 4 Points Table Live Updates And More
- 2026 NHL Mock Draft: Final Pre-Trade Deadline 2-Round Edition
- Rea the Reliever, Johnathon Long’s Injury, ABS Issues, and Other Cubs Bullets