Meteorological spring is here, but the snow season is not over with just yet. Storm totals from our latest storm, ranged from a few inches in the lowest elevations to over six feet of snow in some spots in the mountains. Four inches of snow fell at the Reno Airport since the beginning of the week, and more snow is possible this weekend.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for the Truckee Meadows from 10 p.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday morning because of snow and low visibility.
A Winter Storm Warning has also been issued for the Sierra from 10 a.m. Saturday through 4 a.m. Monday, because of heavy snow and strong winds.
Our mountain passes will be nearly impossible to get through over the weekend. Snow totals won’t be quite as high as our last storm, but still significant.
There is a good chance some of our mountain passes could be shut down for an extended amount of time this weekend. Some leftover snow showers will fall on Monday, but they will be much weaker than this weekend.
Some of our ski resorts picked up seven feet of snow between Sunday and Tuesday. That is an enormous amount of snow, and the wind made conditions even tougher to drive through. The Sierra Snow Lab which is located along I-80 near Donner got around seven feet of snow as well. Palisades Tahoe got 92 inches of snow, or roughly 7.5 feet of snow with are latest storm, that moved through earlier this week.
Friday will be a great day to go skiing and enjoy all of the fresh snow.
Mt. Rose Tahoe got feet of snow too, with nearly two feet of snow falling by Tuesday morning. Snow totals in the valley varied greatly because of shadowing, ground temperatures, and elevation. The Reno Airport, which is typically the warmest spot in the Reno area, got four inches of snow with this storm, and Somersett located in northwest Reno got around 15 to 18 inches. According to some viewers, Washoe Valley saw over a foot of snow and Carson City saw several inches.
The most snow that ever fell at the Reno Airport during the month of February is closer to two feet, back in 1969. Reno usually sees about 21 inches during the entire year, and 12.5 inches for the month.
Now is the time to clean up from our latest storm, as another one will move through this weekend. Snow totals will vary within the Truckee Meadows, ranging from 2-5 inches in the lowest elevations to 5-10 inches above 5000’. The Sierra will see anywhere from 1-2 feet at lake level, to up to four feet of snow above 7000’. Winds will be strong as well, lowering visibility and making travel dangerous.
Washoe Valley will be treacherous this weekend once again. Wind gusts could reach 50mph around Lake Tahoe on Saturday, and 100mph in the ridgetops. The valley will be windy too, with gusts in the 30s and 40s.
Saturday night will give the valley the best chance for accumulating snow, but will start to snow in the mountains of northeast California by late Saturday morning. The heaviest snow will fall late Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Stay safe and stay warm. You can follow me on Facebook at @ktvnangela Schilling and on Twitter or Instagram at Angela Schilling.
