MINDEN, Nev. - Snow blanketed streets and highways in western Nevada for a third straight day Saturday from a persistent autumn storm that earlier shut down Interstate-80 near Truckee, Calif.
The mid-autumn storm focused most of its punch on the valleys south of Carson City in a reversal of the typical pattern that favors the Sierra and largely ignores the lower terrain.
A locally potent snow squall closed a 30-mile stretch of I-80 as blowing snow was whipped into whiteout conditions over Donner Summit even though accumulations were relatively light.
The California Highway Patrol said there were numerous fender-benders in the crush of holiday weekend traffic, including a minor chain-reaction crash involving a dozen vehicles near Blue Canyon, but there were no reports of injuries.
The area from Carson City south to Yerington received another 4-6 inches Saturday on top of a similar amount on Friday and 8-10 inches on Thursday. Local areas around Lake Tahoe and Walker Lake reported 7-8 inches on Saturday.
Forecasters said the unusual accumulation in the valleys was caused by cold air moving over Tahoe's relatively warmer water and forming a mist that rose and turned to snow that fell east of the lake.
While there were no driving restrictions on I-80 early Saturday, chains or snow tires were required on most other roads in the Sierra as well as those in western Nevada including most of I-80 east of Reno, U.S. 395 north of Reno and south of Carson City and U.S. 50 both east and west of Carson City.
Forecasters said some clearing this afternoon and evening would let temperatures plunge into the teens and single digits overnight as a result of the snow cover and lack of clouds. More snow was forecast in the Sierra by late Monday into Tuesday.
