Mother Nature is brewing up another storm for the region and she’s using the same ingredients as last time: rainfall and powerful winds, with a hint of snow.
The weather is expected to “go as unfortunately forecasted” for the rest of the week, said the National Weather Service of Reno. The heavy rain created mudslides in the valleys around Reno and Carson City, along with forceful winds. The Sierras received a foot of new snow. An avalanche warning has been issued, including flood and high winds in the eastern front of the mountains.
But the area will be most affected by Thursday and Friday, as winds are expected to increase. In the valleys, winds are expected to be 20 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 to 65 mph. In Washoe Valley, gusts could exceed 70 mph.
But the good news is, said NWS, the rain won’t be as intense going into today.
Although snowfall is on the backside of the storm, the NWS isn’t expecting anything substantial when it comes to snow height and measurements.
Not much going to change for the Lake Tahoe area, said NWS. A break in the storm is expected sometime today, but it won’t be as long compared to the break in Carson City.
In the Carson City area, multiple roads, trails and parks were closed throughout Tuesday due to flooding, as a storm drain system was operating at capacity. This resulted in water roadways and intersection flooding.
Saturated soils have washed out many trails and contributed to erosion; two more roads were closed near Sierra Vista Lane and Lepire Drive because of sinkholes, according to Carson City Public Works’ live map.
According to the Associated Press, heavy rain flooded some streets and caused a mudslide that closed southbound U.S. Highway 395 at the U.S. 50 on-ramp. A mudslide also blocked part of Highway 89 north of Reno.
However, neither fork of the Carson River is expected to flood, as crests are short of flood stage. The Record-Courier reports Carson Valley is only expected to see a half-inch of rain, but the Sierra foothills may see increased creek levels due to rain and snowmelt.
In Fernley, high winds downed a tree and a power line closing a stretch of State Route 828.
As for Lyon County, officials urge the public to keep all flood mitigation efforts in place. Sandbag locations have been left open since the January event. Crews continue to monitor roads and drainages and will continue to report any problems. There have been no reported fatalities or injuries and no evacuations are in place.
Currently many roads in Dayton, Stagecoach and Silver Springs have substantial water flowing down them.
Crews cannot make any repairs to these roads until water stops flowing. Crews are prepared to begin making repairs first thing in the morning as long as water has stopped flowing.
Gravel and native soil roads will be evaluated on the basis of being able to access roads without getting equipment stuck.
Lyon County urges citizens not to call 9-1-1 or Dispatch unless they are experiencing a life threatening emergency. Please call 463-6531 and leave a message if your call cannot be answered or email your road damage to flood@lyon-county.org.
Lyon County is aware of the inconvenience these storms are causing. Crews cannot make repairs until water stops flowing. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Meanwhile in South Lake Tahoe, the area received 2 inches of rain within the last two days. But as for snow in places such as Mount Rose, the land is covered by 20 inches of it.
Because of the high winds, ski resorts such as Kirkwood and Heavenly opened late, with some ski routes delayed. Travel impacts in the Sierra below 7,500 feet are required to install chains. Tuesday morning, Mount Rose Highway was closed due to vehicles spinning out. Schools also were on two-hour delays.
These delays and procedures shouldn’t be a surprise by Thursday night, as a third storm will arrive with a chance of snow levels lowering, and possibly additional flooding, said NWS.
But the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service considers this weather positive for the environment; it’s keeping the northern region out of drought conditions and there’s a good chance Lake Tahoe will be full this year.
