More than a foot of snow was expected in some places by the end of the day with winds gusting up to 50 mph in Reno, where several traffic accidents were reported on slick roads.
Three to six inches of snow had fallen by midday at Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe between Reno and Lake Tahoe, and at Sugar Bowl near Truckee, Calif., officials for the ski resorts said. Between 10 and 14 inches was expected by nightfall at Mount Rose.
Neither resort plans to open this weekend, but Sugar Bowl spokesman Jon Monson said the snow will make for a good base when they do.
"You want the wet heavy stuff first rather than the wet dry stuff," Monson said.
Boreal Mountain Resort opened last weekend and plans to open again this weekend.
Nearly a half inch of rain had fallen by midday in Reno with as much of 2 inches in the forecast in the foothills around town.
The strongest winds were not expected until Tuesday night, with gusts of 120 mph to 140 mph possible over the Sierra ridge top, the National Weather Service said. Gusts up to 65 mph were forecast for western Nevada valleys from Reno stretching southeast to Hawthorne.
The storm made for a busy morning for Nevada state troopers responding to numerous weather-related accidents.
Several minor accidents were reported on the Mount Rose Highway where several vehicles slid off the road. In Reno, one wreck involved a vehicle traveling north on U.S. Highway 395 that hit the divider wall and sent a chunk of concrete into the windshield of a southbound truck, Trooper Chuck Allen said.
The driver of the truck was transported to Renown Regional Medical Center with unknown injuries, Allen said. The driver of the northbound vehicle was not injured.
"There's about a 10- to 12-inch hole in his windshield where the concrete hit," Allen said. "The roadway is very slick and wet, so we're looking at a weather-related cause."
Post a Comment
