A strong to moderate winter storm will impact our region Thursday through Friday with a winter storm watch up for the Sierra.
Travel early on Thursday to beat the storm as snow will start falling on our Sierra passes by Thursday afternoon and evening with chain controls and travel delays likely through Friday.Â
Our mountains could see 1-2' of snow by Friday with snow levels dropping to the valley floors by Friday morning, with light accumulations and a slick morning commute possible. Look for improved travel conditions on Saturday through early Sunday.
Very windy on Thursday with 40-50+mph gusts as a cold front dives into the region, secure everything outdoors!
It gets cold on Friday with highs only in the 30s. Â
Our active weather pattern continues will another chance for showers by late Sunday through early next week....Â
If you have travel plans in the mountains Thursday-Friday, ensure that your vehicle is ready for winter conditions, including an emergency kit with extra food, water, clothing, and tire chains if necessary.
You can stay up to date on weather across the country and in our area with our KTVN Storm Watch weather app.Â
The app gives you forecast information, like radar, storm tracking and more for any location in the country, all in the palm of your hand.Â
You can download it for free for your iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphone. Just search KTVN in the iTunes or Google Play Store.
While Washoe County is prepared to provide resources to the community, area residents are still encouraged to plan for winter storm events, and protect their property.
Plan and prepare. Every resident should have a personal preparedness plan. This means understanding your risks if you live in a flood-prone area, have experienced flooding in the past, or need special medication, food and water on hand in case of a prolonged snowstorm and scheduling more time for your commute and road travel.
Have a kit ready. In the event of another high precipitation year, Washoe County recommends all residents have an emergency kit ready. For recommendations on what to include in an emergency kit, please click here.
Flood insurance. Due to a number of homes that experienced flood damage last year, flood insurance is highly recommended. To see a map of the FEMA flood areas in Washoe County, please click here.
CodeRED Alerts. Washoe County Emergency Services urges residents to sign up to receive critical emergency notifications through the CodeRED system. To learn more and to sign up to receive these emergency phone alerts, please click here.
Sandbags. Washoe County highly encourages all residents to prepare for winter weather. Should the need arise, sandbags are available at various locations throughout Washoe County. Please be prepared to fill the sandbags at the locations by bringing a shovel and assistance if possible.
The following locations will have sandbags available:
• Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Station #223, 130 Nectar St., Lemmon Valley
• Lemmon Drive and Pompe Way intersection, Lemmon Valley
• Blue Heron Circle and Warrior Lane intersection, Belli Ranch
• Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Station #30, 3905 Old Hwy 395, Washoe Valley
• Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Station #16, 1240 Eastlake Blvd, Washoe Valley
• Washoe County Operations Yard, 3101 Longley Lane, Reno
• Highland Ranch Parkway, one mile west of Pyramid Hwy, Sparks
• Andrew Lane and Paddlewheel Lane intersection, Pleasant Valley
Communication. Washoe County will continue to keep all residents informed throughout this winter season. To subscribe to receive Washoe County emails, please click here to be added to the list. Residents can also stay informed by following Washoe County on Twitter and Facebook. In addition, the community is encouraged to contact the Washoe 311 customer service center at any time for questions, concerns or to receive the latest information by dialing 3-1-1 from any phone or by calling 775-328-2003 or emailing washoe311@washoecounty.us.
(The National Weather Service, Washoe County contributed to this report.)
