First snow on Donner Pass prompts mandatory brake checks

Semi trucks passing through Donner Pass were required to stop for a brake check on Interstate 80 during the area’s first snow on Thursday. 

The snow fell on Interstate 80 along the Donner Pass in California on Thursday morning, October 31st. 

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, the snow prompted a chain requirement for drivers traveling without snow tires or four wheel drive. A mandatory brake check for semi trucks was also put in place on westbound I-80, approximately a half mile from Nyack in Placer County. The purpose of the brake check was to reduce brake fires during the slick, early winter conditions. 

The next winter storm in the area is expected to arrive on Friday night, November 1st and last through the following day. Between 6 inches and two feet of snow is expected at higher elevations. Snow is also expected along Highway 395 near Mammoth, California. 

Two winter storm systems will be impacting our area this week, with the first one arriving tonight. Slick roads will impact your Thurs AM commute. However, conditions will clear by the afternoon. The second system arrives Fri night, bringing more chances of snow. #nvwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/C1um1VBsbK

— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) October 30, 2024