Storm Drops Another Foot Of Snow Around Tahoe; Many Crashes
RENO, Nev. (AP) - The latest storm to hit the Sierra Nevada region dropped a foot of snow on ski resorts around Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, with a couple of inches in the valleys and freezing fog that caused dozens of crashes on slippery roads from Reno to Fallon about 60 miles east.
The only potentially serious injury reported involved a man who was hospitalized Wednesday after his truck slid off Interstate 80 near the Nevada-California line and plunged several feet below into the Truckee River. His name was not released, and his condition was not immediately known, the California Highway Patrol said.
Troopers were investigating the cause of that accident.
"We don't really know the cause," CHP Trooper Jeff Billings told the Sierra Sun, "just that he ended up off the roadway and into the river."
The Nevada Highway Patrol responded to 10 crashes in the Reno-Sparks area alone during the Wednesday morning commute, including one with a minor injury near the intersection of Interstate 80 and U.S. 395. Trooper Duncan Dauber said there were 15 crashes on I-80 east of Sparks between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
"The biggest problem was the fog overnight and cold weather that froze the ice and caused slick roads," Reno police Officer Tim Broadway told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "Luckily, people are slowing down."
A winter weather advisory remained in effect through Thursday morning along the Sierra's eastern front. The National Weather Service predicts 4 to 8 inches of snow at lower elevations and as much as 16 inches above 7,000 feet.
Snowfall totals by noon Wednesday included 13 inches at the Squaw Valley ski resort near Truckee, California, 10 inches at the Mount Rose ski area southwest of Reno and 2 inches at National Weather Service headquarters in Reno.
Mostly rain was expected Wednesday afternoon and evening around Las Vegas and parts of southern Nevada. But a half foot of snow or more was possible by Thursday in the upper elevations of Mt. Charleston about 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip. The weather service issued a winter weather advisory effective from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Thursday for that area, stretching east from Red Rock Canyon to Caliente, Pioche, Panaca and Alamo.
