Christmas weekend snowstorm causes chaos in California and Nevada

Snow on Kite Hill in Seattle (Ken Lambert /The Seattle Times/AP)

A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key roads in the mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days due to snow.

Authorities near Reno said three people were injured in a 20-car pile-up on the Interstate 395 road, where drivers described limited visibility on Sunday.