Cold temps, slick roads and no end in sight

by Susie Vasquez

Staff Writer

Frigid temperatures and slick roads were blamed for an accident involving a school bus filled with children and a vehicle Thursday, at the corner of Spruce Loop and Douglas Ave. in Gardnerville.

There were no injuries, said Bob Murphy, vehicle maintenance supervisor for the Douglas County Schools.

"The private vehicle went through a stop sign and hit the bus just behind the left front bumper in the intersection," he said. "That was the only incident and that's a good day, considering the weather."

Drivers are doing pretty well, with respect to the storms, he said.

"It usually takes one or two storms to slow everyone down," he said. "Then we do pretty good."

The cold spell isn't expected to be over any time soon, according to Mark Deutschendorf, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"Temperatures will be in the 30s all next week until Thursday and should be close to 40 by Friday," he said. "But we should have a low pressure area off the California coast by then and we're not sure whether it will move in or not."

Temperatures will rise slightly if that front stays offshore, he said.

"Generally we'll have light winds, but no good winds to warm up the air mass through next week," he said.

Temperatures dipped to 3 degrees Friday morning, but the front offered little with respect to snowfall, according to local weather observer Stan Kapler.

"It was a very dry snow and it's not melting," he said. "I only have .13 inch moisture and one inch of snow."

To date, Carson Valley has received 2.67 inches of moisture and 4.4 inches of snow.

That figure is well below the average, which totals just under 5 inches by the end of January. Carson Valley averages about 8.38 inches of precipitation annually, the majority coming in the winter months, November through February, according to figures from the National Weather Service.

Last year's figures, which were significantly above average, totalled 17.5 inches of snow and 11.32 inches of moisture at this time last year, Kapler said.

"We need a lot more precipitation," he said.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.