'So difficult': Winter snow, cold slam Northwest and Sierra

Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and in the Sierra Nevada mountain range are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters

SEATTLE -- The Pacific Northwest and Sierra Nevada mountain range grappled Tuesday with another day of snow, ice and unseasonable cold that has disrupted traffic, caused closures and forced people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters.

Across western Washington and Oregon, officials and private groups opened emergency spaces for people as forecasters said the extreme cold from an arctic blast that blew in Sunday could last until the weekend.

Farther south, part of the main highway from San Francisco to Reno remained closed Tuesday for a third day due to record-setting snow in the Lake Tahoe area after a winter storm blasted across northern California and Nevada.

Snow-choked Interstate 80 shut down Sunday from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California, although Caltrans said U.S. 50 reopened late Monday for vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive.