Signs indicate a winter storm is coming to Carson Valley at some point.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
A tree fell on a home near lower Kingsbury taking power lines with it around 6 p.m. Thursday.
No one was at the home on Pine Ridge Drive when the tree fell, according to Tahoe Douglas firefighters who responded to the incident.
Snow coated Daggett Summit at the top of Kingsbury Grade at 6:15 p.m., though no chain controls had been issued.
The Sierra in Douglas County are under a blizzard warning, while a winter storm warning will take effect at 10 p.m., in time for a high wind warning to clear, according to the National Weather Service.
“A major winter storm is on track to bring blizzard conditions to the Sierra, periods of white-out conditions even for far Western Nevada valleys Friday night and Saturday, possibly starting as early as the Friday evening commute, and strong damaging winds region wide,” said National Weather Service Reno Meteorologist Wendell Hohmann on Thursday afternoon.
Forecasters said that heavy precipitation and colder air will settle southward into the Sierra and Western Nevada.
“This will not be a fast process, allowing for falling snow levels and long periods of snow to add up over 2-3 days,” Hohmann said. “Latest blended guidance is pretty solid with the snow amounts in the multiples of feet for the Sierra with a decent spillover into far Western Nevada valleys and foothills.”
The storm front will bring cold temperatures to the Valley, in stark contrast to the warm conditions from the past few days.
High temperatures are expected to drop from 46 degrees on Friday to 37 degrees on Saturday, with the coldest low forecast at 16 degrees early Monday morning.
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Douglas County announced it was canceling a strategic plan update set for Friday due to sever weather.
"Due to predicted severe winter weather and hazardous driving conditions, the Board of County Commissioners special meeting on Friday has been postponed until a later date," spokesman Eric Cachinero said Thursday. "Out of an abundance of caution, and to minimize the number of individuals on the road, the meeting has been postponed."
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A prescribed burn halfway up Kingsbury Grade from Carson Valley drew some attention as the winds picked up this morning.
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District spokeswoman Michelle Turner said firefighters are monitoring the burn and aren’t igniting any more.
She said the anticipated snow will likely douse the blaze.
“There’s no real chance of spread with the storm coming,” she said.
A high wind warning is in effect for most of Western Nevada until 10 p.m. tonight.
A Nevada Department of Transportation wind gauge at the 5,381-foot level of the Grade had a peak wind gust of 35 mph around 6 a.m. today.
Minden-Tahoe Airport recorded a 51 mph gust at around 9:15 a.m.
Gusty winds of up to 55 mph are predicted to occur through the rest of the day as a storm arrives in the Sierra.
A high wind prohibition for vehicles over 9-feet tall is in effect for Interstate 80, according to nvroads.com. The first chain controls have been issued for the Mount Rose Highway where traffic cameras show near-blizzard conditions as of 11 a.m.
Chain controls have also been issued for Highway 88 west of Pickett’s Junction and Interstate 80 west of Truckee over Donner Summit.
Light snow flurries were visible on the Daggett Summit camera the same time at the top of Kingsbury Grade as the storm approached.
A blizzard warning is in effect for Sierra from Bieber to Mammoth Lakes, including the Lake Tahoe Basin, Alpine and Mono counties.
A winter storm warning is in effect for Western Nevada, including Carson Valley starting 10 p.m. today and lasting until 10 p.m. March 2.
NV Energy spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said the company will have personnel on standby in case the winds or snow knocks out power. According to nvenergy.com, there were only two customers affected by outages in Douglas County, including one in Jacks Valley. Carson City had three outages affecting 69 customers.
The Nevada Department of Transportation and Nevada State Police is asking motorists to take winter driving safety precautions, including avoiding unnecessary travel.
The American Red Cross of Northern Nevada urged residents to prepare for the storm by checking your home's heating supply, preparing your emergency kit for both home and car, and preparing for possible power outages in your area.
“A winter storm can be a scary situation, but being prepared beforehand can keep it from becoming an emergency. Please take the time to prepare your home before this significant storm," said Executive Director Tiandra Rushing.
