>> THESE ARE NOT EASY STORIES TO TELL. RAF, THANK YOU. >>> IN THE SIERRA MOUNTAINS TONIGHT ANOTHER STORM IS POISED TO DUMP AS MUCH AS TWO MORE FEET OF SNOW IN A REGION BURIED BY IT OVER THE WEEKEND. OUR STEVE PATTERSON IS THERE TONIGHT. STEVE, GOOD EVENING. >> Reporter: LESTER, AFTER MORE THAN 72 HOURS OF NONSTOP SNOWFALL, FINALLY THERE WAS A BREAK TODAY, ALLOWING OFFICIALS TO CLEAR THE ROAD AND OPEN A MAJOR INTERSTATE. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE THIS NEW SNOW FROM A NEW SYSTEM STARTED FALLING. >> Reporter: TONIGHT AN ENTIRE REGION DIGGING OUT IN THE AFTERMATH OF AROUND-THE-CLOCK WINTER WEATHER THRASHING. >> WE WOKE UP TO A LOT OF SNOW YESTERDAY, AND IT NEVER LET UP. >> Reporter: THIS WEEKEND THE STORM OF THE SEASON UNLEASHED A LIFE-THREATENING ASSAULT ON THE MOUNTAIN WEST, DUMPING FIVE TO TEN FEET OF SNOW ACROSS THE REGION. AND SPAWNING BLINDING WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ON THE ROADS. >> IT KIND OF FELT LIKE WE WERE SWIMMING THROUGH THE SNOW ALMOST. >> Reporter: JUST SOUTH OF LAKE TAHOE SEVERAL CARS TEMPORARILY TRAPPED WHEN AN AVALANCHE CRASHED ON THE ROAD. THANKFULLY, NO ONE INJURED. THE REGION'S MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, INTERSTATE 80, SHUT DOWN FOR DAYS, A PERILOUS MIX OF WIND AND SNOW STRANDING DRIVERS FOR HOURS. THE ROAD FINALLY REOPENING TODAY. THE BLIZZARD BRINGING SNOW TOTALS TO MORE THAN SEVEN FEET IN SEVERAL COMMUNITIES, WITH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 190 MILES PER HOUR IN THE HIGHEST PEAKS. >> IT WAS FULL ON. IT WAS DEFINITELY SOME PRETTY INTENSE PERIODS OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. >> Reporter: TODAY RELIEF. BLIZZARD WARNINGS LIFTED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE LAST WEEK. >> THIS REALLY TURNED OUT TO BE A STORM. WE WERE ALL KIND OF LAUGHING AND WE WERE LIKE, EH, IT'S SNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS. AND THEN SNOWMAGEDDON. >> SNOWMAGEDDON DID COME. >> Reporter: THE STORM MOVING OUT, ALLOWING RESIDENTS TO CATCH THEIR BREATH AHEAD OF A FEW MORE INCHES OF SNOW PREDICTED RIG