Heavenly Mountain reported 12 inches of snow in 24 hours Thursday morning.
© Heavenly Mountain ResortHeavenly Mountain reported 12 inches of snow in 24 hours Thursday morning.
Several ski resorts in the Tahoe area, including Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Northstar California, reported receiving two feet of snow between Tuesday and Wednesdayand that's before the brunt of the storm hit.

The snow continued to pile up Wednesday night into Thursday morning, as the storm dumped wet, heavy 'Sierra cement' in the Tahoe basin.

The resorts started to boast about how much snow fell in their neck of the woods and the numbers were impressive all around. Sugar Bowl had received 15 inches of snow just overnight. Squaw Valley reported 28 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, Northstar had 26 inches, Kirkwood had 16 inches, and Heavenly had a foot. June Mountain Ski Area reported a 24-hour total of 36 inches at 7 a.m. Thursday.



snow
© Heavenly Mountain Resort
Northstar reported 26 inches of snow in 24 hours Thursday morning.
© Northstar California ResortNorthstar reported 26 inches of snow in 24 hours Thursday morning.
And it doesn't stop there. The National Weather Service forecast up to another 14 inches of daytime snowfall for South Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue shared this photo
© South Lake Tahoe Fire RescueSouth Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue shared this photo warning drivers not to drive with excessive snow on the roof. The agency warned it's dangerous for everyone on the road.
By Thursday night, Donner Pass was expected to record 48 inches to 60 inches of snow, Echo Pass 24 inches to 30 inches, Carson and Sonora Pass 60 inches to 80 inches and Tioga Pass 36 inches to 48 inches.

The National Weather Service warned people to stay off the roads if at all possible.

Snow piling up Wednesday night at Soda Springs.
© Caltrans District 3Snow piling up Wednesday night at Soda Springs.
Snow pileup shown the morning of Wednesday,
© Squaw Valley Alpine MeadowsSnow pileup shown the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 at Alpine Meadows base area. The resort received 2.5 feet of snow in 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday.
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© Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows

"I would call this storm extremely dangerous," said Karleisa Rogacheski, a meteorologist with the NWS Sacramento office. "During whiteout conditions, it's going to be near-impossible to drive."

Wednesday afternoon there were already major problems on I-80. The California Highway Patrol was forced to close the the interstate in both directions due to multiple crashes in the westbound lanes and a jackknifed semi-truck in the eastbound lanes at Donner Summit. The roads were reopened about an hour later.

A jackknifed truck closed I-80 eastbound Wednesday afternoon.
© CHP TruckeeA jackknifed truck closed I-80 eastbound Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday morning, Northstar California
© Northstar California ResortOn Wednesday morning, Northstar California Resort reported it had already received 23 inches of snow in the previous 24 hours. And that was before the heaviest snow began to fall.

Snow pileup shown the morning of Wednesday,
© Squaw Valley Alpine MeadowsSnow pileup shown the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 at Alpine Meadows base area. The resort received 2.5 feet of snow in 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday.
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© Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows

SFGATE's Amy Graff contributed to this report.