Flags fly in the wind in Minden on Friday morning.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
Both NV Energy and Liberty Utilities have implemented power safety outages in the Sierra Front.
A dozen customers north of Genoa are affected by the outage in Carson Valley which started 6:40 a.m. today. The expected time of restoration is 8 a.m. Saturday.
Liberty implemented an outage at 8 a.m. for Markleeville, Woodfords, Hope Valley, Topaz, Coleville, and Walker customers, due to extreme weather conditions that increase the risk of a potential wildfire. Customers will need to plan for an extended power shutoff that could last more than 24 hours.
A high wind warning is in effect through 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds of 20-30 mph, with 40 mph gusts are predicted in Carson Valley as a storm arrives over the Sierra.
The Nevada Department of Transportation is prohibiting vehicles over 9-feet tall from Interstate 580 through Washoe Valley.
A winter storm warning has been issued for 10 a.m. today through 10 p.m. Saturday for the Sierra Nevada for heavy snow with accumulations of 1-2 feet above 7,000 feet and up to 3 feet at the highest peaks.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” forecasters said of the Sierra storm. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening and Monday morning commutes. Very strong winds could cause extensive damage to trees and power lines.”
Visit nvroads.com for road conditions.
The 42 customers who were without power from Wednesday’s safety outage along Jacks Valley Road were restored by 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
“While patrolling, crews did find a broken cross arm that had to be fixed before all customers could be fully re-energized,” Media Relations Manager Meghin Delaney said on Thursday.
Delaney said another outage could take place in that region on Friday. If there’s damage to the lines, that could extend to Saturday morning.
The same is true for an outage should it occur in Alpine and Mono counties.
“If an (outage) is implemented, it could last more than 24 hours before power can be restored,” according to Liberty.
An atmospheric river is predicted to bring rain to Carson Valley after 10 a.m. today.
Breezy conditions are anticipated to continue with southwest winds around 20 mph gusting to 30 mph.
The Douglas County seat could see up to a half-inch of rain by tonight.
“Aside from a few lingering showers, we'll likely have a brief break
in the rain and snow late tonight through Sunday afternoon, which
may be the opportune time to travel in the Sierra before the next
storm arrives Sunday night,” Reno National Weather Service forecaster Tyler Salas said on Thursday afternoon.
“This third and final round of showers will last through Tuesday and will be the colder than its predecessors. It's likely that the Sierra crest sees another foot of snow.”
