Winter storm that struck Sierra Nevada heads across US

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — A winter storm that sent ski lift chairs swinging and closed mountain highways in the Sierra Nevada will push across the country and reach the Plains by mid-week, bringing significant rain and below-average temperatures. The storm over the weekend shut down highways, toppled trees and triggered flood watches and avalanche warnings. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab says Sunday that more than 43 inches had fallen in 48 hours. A 70-mile (112-km) stretch of eastbound U.S. Interstate 80 was closed Saturday “due to zero visibility” from the northern California town of Colfax to the Nevada state line.