Flooding

UPDATE 830PM: The Little Valley Fire is now 90 percent contained. Due to the break in the weather today, a helicopter mission was able to map the burned area and current acreage was readjusted to 2,291 acres.

On Monday partnership agencies began implementing the community reentry plan into the fire affected area. Residents whose homes are uninhabitable were escorted into the restricted area. All residents that are in the exclusion area will be allowed to return starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Residents are required to enter from the south end of Franktown Road and must show identification.

Old US 395A is open; however Franktown Road remains closed below 6190 Franktown Road.
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Drenching rain has proved to be helpful for firefighters on the Little Valley Fire in Washoe Valley, with 55 percent containment as of Monday morning, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. Mandatory evacuation is expected to be lifted by Wednesday if conditions allow.

UPDATE 7:14PM: The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) is now reporting the Little Valley to be 55 percent contained, having burned 3,400 acres and destroyed 22 homes and 17 outbuildings since early Friday morning.
More than 660 firefighting personnel remain on scene, the SFIDC reports.
More rain is forecast Sunday night into Monday morning, which should further help firefighting efforts to achieve full containment of the Little Valley Fire.
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UPDATE 3:52PM: From South Lake Tahoe, Highway 89 continues to be closed from just beyond the Spring Creek Tract to the Vikingsholm parking lot gate (north side of Emerald Bay) because of the Emerald Fire, which is still 90 percent contained.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, evacuations have been lifted for Cathedral Road, Springs Creek Tract, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord and Mount Tallac Road.
Cascade Lake and Cascade Properties are currently open to residents only.
In Washoe Valley, Franktown Road continues to be closed below the 6190 street address, because of the Little Valley Fire, which remains at 20 percent contained.
Although Old U.S. Highway 395A has been opened, Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) is asking the public to stay out of the area due to fire traffic, localized flooding from heavy rains and unstable ground from the burn areas.
Interstate 580 is open in both directions to traffic.
Public safety officials said at a 1 p.m. briefing that a re-entry plan has been established, but it will require coordination with fire management personnel, law enforcement, and utility companies before the area can be re-populated safely.
The re-entry plan called for some residents to be allowed back in Monday or Tuesday to survey their properities only. Officials are hopeful re-entry can begin Wednesday.
WCSO will contact displaced residents directly in order to visit their homes.
Fuji Park in Carson City remain open for evacuated residents with large livestock.

The second round of storms is expected to arrive late Saturday afternoon in Carson City bringing rain and strong, gusty winds that could bring down tree limbs and power lines, according to the National Weather Service. There’s also concern that rain could cause flash flooding in the Little Valley Fire area in Washoe Valley and Emerald Fire area at south shore Lake Tahoe.

High winds whipping through Carson City Friday morning have snapped trees and brought down some power lines throughout the area. A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. today. Another strong wind event is anticipated Saturday ahead of a storm system that is expected to bring valley rain and high mountain snow, providing some relief to fires burning in nearby Washoe Valley and at south shore Lake Tahoe.

One man's trash is another man's treasure, so says an old idiom.

That's not necessarily true for Gary Goodrich, owner of Greener World Recycling in east Carson City.

Trash is trash.

UPDATE 4:30PM: The urban and small stream flood advisory for eastern Carson City and Douglas County has been lifted.
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The National Weather Service in Reno issued an urban and small stream flood advisory Monday afternoon for eastern Carson City and Douglas County until 5:30 p.m.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Water Resources Specialist John Cobourn has received a national award for his innovative approaches in programs addressing flash floods, environmentally friendly landscaping, Lake Tahoe’s water quality, and other water issues in northern Nevada.

Heading into the three-day holiday weekend, there's a chance for scattered thunderstorms developing Friday and Saturday afternoon, mainly east of Highway 395, with sunny skies and pleasant weather continuing through Monday, July 4, according to the National Weather service.

High pressure will produce hot summertime conditions with afternoons in the 90s to near 100 across western Nevada, according to the National Weather Service.

The Nevada state capital has seen its share of natural disasters and citywide emergencies.

From wildfires to flooding and all-too-common high wind events, Carson City Manager Nick Marano says local government is ready to respond at a moment's notice.

"The city has an emergency operations plan," Marano said. "We've gone through several rounds of modifications to it."

There is an emergency operations center, he said, that enhances communication between public safety and public works departments during local emergencies.

Rain and thunderstorms have arrived in Carson City this morning with some lightning strikes causing a handful of outages and power pole fires.
With the Nevada Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony happening at noon today, there are contingency plans to move the ceremony inside the State Legislative Building if the heavy rain and thunderstorms persist, according to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms have arrived in Carson City. Very wet weather is still on track today through Sunday as low pressure slowly moves across the region. Thunderstorms are possible each day with the best coverage likely to be Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Picture this. A group of male prisoners (big, burly guys) and a group of tiny, tabby kittens (weighing about three ounces), meeting each other for the first time at the Warm Springs Correctional Center. It’s early evening, the sun is setting and everyone is settling in for the night. It’s calm and quiet.

Suddenly the men are alert, turning all warm and fuzzy, cooing and using baby talk — they are melting at the sight of newborn kittens. Don’t judge, you would react this way too.

Celebrate Earth Day with one of the world’s important climate scientists, Dr. Charles Goldman. He will speak about Lake Tahoe and a world water crisis from climate warming of inland waters.

The event is sponsored by the Western Nevada College Foundation. It will be held Friday, April 22, 7 pm at Marlette Hall at the Carson City campus.

Charles R. Goldman is a Distinguished Professor of Limnology ­­ Emeritus Department of Environmental Science and Policy UCD President, World Water and Climate Foundation who is known around the world.

Celebrate Earth Day with one of the world’s important climate scientists, Dr. Charles Goldman. He will speak about Lake Tahoe and a world water crisis from climate warming of inland waters. The event is being sponsored by the Western Nevada College Foundation.

East Fork Fire Protection District, serving as Douglas County Emergency Management, provided orientation to 98 individuals from around the county during flood response guide workshops held earlier this month.

UPDATE 11:15AM: Carson City is experiencing minor, localized flooding, according to the city's Facebook page. Sandbags are available at Public Works Corporate Yard on Butti Way. Call 887-2355 if you need more information. As of 11:15 there were 14 NV Energy outages in Carson City with 253 customers without power. Douglas County has 16 outages with 165 customers without power. There is one outage in Lyon County with one customer without power.

Heard about the Godzilla El Niño? Wondering what it means for us here in the northern Great Basin and the northern Sierra? We’ll examine what El Niño is, how and why those conditions occur in the tropical Pacific and how they influence weather outside of the tropics.

The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.

The Nevada Department of Transportation says it is nearly finished with a $1.2 million storm drainage enhancement and water quality project that began this summer along a 4.5 mile stretch of Highway 50 from Spooner junction at South Carson Street to Tahoe Golf Club Drive.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Nov. 2-8, 2015. Division Street will be closed between Fifth Street and King Street during daytime hours Monday through Friday due to road construction. Detours will be signed.

With an El Nino winter anticipated and uncertainty about what it may bring, there is potential for flooding in many areas around the Silver State. Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared this Nov. 1–7, Nevada Flood Awareness Week.

A strong El Niño is predicted to help ease drought conditions in some, but not all of California. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center released their latest seasonal weather assessment on Thursday, and the news isn't very good for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Carson City Emergency Management and the Carson City Fire Department will host a planning and community hazard mitigation open house and workshop Thursday, marking the 100th anniversary of the historic 1915 Nevada Pleasant Valley earthquake that happened 50 miles south of Winnemucca and considered the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Nevada.

The Nevada Department of Public Safety's Division of Emergency Management Security is reminding Nevada residents the importance of planning and preparing for any emergency.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Aug. 5, 2015 and beyond. As of Aug 4, Nevada Department of Wildlife fishing reports for Western Nevada waters are not included as their most current reports are dated June 4.

Douglas County will host a Flood Outreach on August 6 from 3:30-7 p.m. in the CVIC Hall, Minden. The event will give the public the opportunity to collect information, provide public input, and view flood damage maps.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Transportation has reopened State Route 839 east of Fallon following roadway flooding and erosion.State Route 839, known as Scheelite Mine Road, travels sou...

Thunderstorms are expected to develop again today, especially along and east of Highway 395. Strong to severe storms are possible but the heavier storms may spare the Carson City area, according to the National Weather Service.

The main threats are frequent lightning, local flooding, hail, and strong outflow winds. The timeframe for storms is between now and 2 p.m. for the Sierra, Lake Tahoe, Carson City and Reno areas, with low to medium confidence there will be strong storms, according to the weather service.

Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rainfall anticipated today has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Flash Flood Watch for the Carson City region until 8 p.m.
The watch includes the Lake Tahoe Basin, Carson Valley and Dayton areas, along with Mono County and the Reno area.