Record snow in parts of Nevada; high winds, rain in Vegas

RENO — A winter storm warning was posted Monday across much of central and eastern Nevada, where about a foot of record-breaking snow fell in some areas, and a high wind advisory remained in effect in Las Vegas with winds expected to gust up to 50 mph.

The storm that blew through the Sierra over the weekend dropped more than a foot of snow at Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts, and a foot and one-half at Mount Rose on the southwest edge of Reno.

Schools were delayed Monday morning due to icy roads in the Reno-Sparks area, where police responded to numerous spin-outs and crashes but no serious injuries were reported.

About 25 vehicles were involved in a pileup that shut down slippery Interstate 80 for nearly two hours Sunday afternoon at the Nevada-California line just west of Reno.

The 7 inches of snow recorded at Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Sunday broke the old record of 3.5 inches for the date set in 1932, the National Weather Service said.

Near the Utah line, the Ely Airport reported 10 inches of snow on Sunday, smashing the old record there of 2 inches set in 1967. The town of Baker had 17 inches of new snow in White Pine County, with 12 inches in Eureka and 11 inches in Tonopah.

Another 2 to 5 inches of snow was forecast in those areas, which remained under the winter storm warning until 4 p.m. Monday and temperatures were forecast to dip below zero on Tuesday.

The high wind warning was extended through 6 p.m. Monday in Las Vegas, where a quarter inch of rain fell Sunday into Monday.

A lightning strike just before 3 p.m. Sunday ignited a house fire near the Las Vegas Country Club, causing an estimated $200,000 in damages. No one was home but two cats were rescued by Clark County firefighters.

Trace amounts of snow were also recorded in Henderson and Boulder City, while Lee Canyon in Mount Charleston reported 15 inches of snow.

Las Vegas is also experiencing unseasonably cool temperatures with Monday’s highs in the mid-40s, about 15 degrees below normal. The average temperature for this time of year area is in the low 60s.

And there could be more to come, said Caleb Steele, a weather service meteorologist. Winter weather events tend to peak in the later months of winter, in February and March, in southern Nevada.