A powerful blizzard raged in the Sierra Nevada as the biggest storm of the season shut down a long stretch of I-80 in California.

Twenty people were rescued from a chairlift at the Hlíðarfjall ski area outside Akureyri. The lift stalled when the wire was blown off its spool by a strong blast of wind.

A series of winter storms hit Nome with deep snow and high winds, causing school closures, flight cancellations, and significant snow removal challenges.

Three Valdez residents behind the proposed ski area say a resort could provide year-round tourism opportunities as more cruise ships arrive and the oil industry declines.

A couple of North Shore ski hills and Buntzen Lake in Anmore were closed Friday because of heavy rainfall, as Metro Vancouver prepared for another deluge Friday night.