Torrential snow storm leaves Northern California covered in powder: See the top photos

A powerful, multiple day winter storm in California's Sierra Nevada mountains over the weekend brought with it as much as 10 feet of snow and wind gusts of almost 200 mph causing power outages, closing highways and burying ski resorts.

The blizzard began late last week but its most intense conditions occurred on Sunday, when wind gusts reached 190 mph and whiteout conditions left hundreds of people stranded in their cars for several hours.

Yosemite National Park closed down and a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 80 was also shut down due to the storm.

Schools were canceled Monday and National Weather Service meteorologist William Churchill warned of “life-threatening concern” for residents near Lake Tahoe, calling the storm an "extreme blizzard."

Here's what it looked like in parts of Northern California as the blizzard pushed through.

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Photos of blizzard in California, Nevada

Photos of I-80 in the snow

Snowfall over 7 feetHow much snow fell in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada?

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @saman_shafiq7.