Interstate 5 on Grapevine opens to traffic after snow closure

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A portion of Interstate 5 on the Grapevine was gradually opening to traffic Friday morning, more than five hours after it was closed because of winter weather.

The California Highway Patrol announced about 7:30 a.m. that it was escorting vehicles across the southbound stretch of the freeway, and a spokesman said it would be open to ‘free-flowing’ traffic after that. Traffic escorts began on the northbound lanes soon after.

Traffic logs indicated both directions of the freeway were closed about 2 a.m.

Southern California saw rain and snow overnight as a late-winter storm moved across the region. Snow levels dropped as low as 3,000 feet, and there were reports of accumulation in mountain and foothill areas, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

A winter storm warning was in effect for mountain areas until 10 p.m. Friday, Thompson said. The showers were expected to taper off throughout the day, but the weather service warned that precipitation could linger over the Grapevine into Saturday.

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— Kate Mather

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