Snow Briefly Forces Closure Of I-5 Through Grapevine Mountain Pass

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Authorities briefly shut down both directions of Interstate 5 at the Grapevine mountain pass due to heavy snow overnight.

The closure was announced by the California Highway Patrol around 5 a.m. Saturday via Twitter.

It was impacting traffic all the way in the Castaic area, where footage showed trucks and vehicles in back-to-back traffic at Castaic Road on the 5 Freeway.

Beginning around 8 a.m., officers escorted vehicles through the mountain pass. It was fully reopened by 10 a.m.

However, the National Weather Service was warning drivers to be prepared for more dangerous conditions again Saturday night in the Grapevine. The NWS said snow levels would drop to between 2,500 and 3,000 feet in some areas. Another one to three inches of snow were possible with up to 50 mile-per-hour winds. Drivers should again be prepared for icy roads and delays.

If traveling the Grapevine I-5 corridor, be prepared for icy conditions & posbl delays. Snow shwrs & gusty winds tonight. #LAweather#SoCalpic.twitter.com/Nvr4Q0T7Ud

— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) December 24, 2016

Residents in the foothills of Duarte are pleased the latest rains didn't push much more of the hillside down into the neighborhood, Tom Wait reports.

For up-to-the-minute live traffic updates, tune-in to KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO and visit cbsLA.com/traffic.