The back end of a winter storm that brought several feet of snow to the Sierra and a few inches down to lower valley floors will begin to wind down later Sunday, with temperatures to remain quite cold for the next few days, according to the National Weather Service.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through Sunday morning, 10 a.m. for the greater Reno, Carson City, Carson Valley and Lyon County areas. Snow levels have dropped anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of snow, making for slick roadways across the area. Higher amounts are reported in the foothills above 5,000 feet.
As of Sunday morning, 7:30 a.m. chains or snow tires are required from Eastlake Boulevard to US-395-Alt in Washoe Valley. Chains or snow tires are also required over Geiger Grade, From SR-341 (Geiger Grade Road) to River St in Dayton and From I-580 to SR-431 (Mt. Rose Highway). For the latest road conditions go to NVroads.com or call 5-1-1.
NDOT snowplows are removing snow along I-580, highways 50 and 395 from Douglas County to Carson City and Washoe Valley. Snow removal crews are plowing through local city streets to remove the mostly wet and heavy snow from the roadways.
The main snow band is beginning to drop southward into Alpine and Mono counties Sunday morning with more intermittent snow showers expected for areas along and north of Highway 50. Localized heavy snow showers are still possible, especially through midday, but they won’t be as widespread as the precipitation experienced overnight, according to NWS forecasters.
Meanwhile, traveling through the Sierra remains problematic, as snow has piled high along mountain passes. I-80 over Donner Summit was closed Sunday morning at the Nevada, California state line.
Elsewhere, snow chains are required over all Sierra mountain passes. Weather Service forecasters advise travelers to wait out the storm if trying to get over. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the Lake Tahoe Basin and Sierra through 4 a.m. Monday. Heavy snow with periods of 2-3 inches per hour snowfall rates is expected.
Very cold temperatures are ahead for the Sierra and western Nevada behind the storm on Monday afternoon, according to NWS forecasters. Clearing skies, light winds, snow-covered areas and strong inversions will result in well below normal daytime highs and overnight low temperatures. Highs in western Nevada will be in the 30s, with morning lows in the teens. In the colder valleys of the Sierra, morning lows will drop into the single digits and even below zero.
Check back for updates.
