Year's first snow closes highways, stalls traffic

RENO, Nev. - More than four weeks since the last storm, the snow just kept on falling today in the Sierra, shutting down major highways and soaking skiers.

"We were going to do half day boarding lessons, but everybody turned out looking like a wet rat, making it not a fun day to run," Scott Willers said on Monday at Dave's Ski Shops in Tahoe City, Calif.

Chains were mandatory today on both U.S. 50 and Interstate-80 as well as other Sierra roads. U.S. 50 was closed for a time to allow avalanche control over Echo Summit. Spinouts shut down westbound I-80 over Donner Summit on Monday.

Earlier Monday, high winds knocked down a power line on U.S. Highway 395, blocking traffic and leaving 7,000 homes temporarily without power in Sun Valley north of Reno.

The road was slow going again today because of ice. Most of western Nevada was wet from the storm. Reno picked up 0.25 of an inch.

The snow that started over the weekend dropped up to two feet at the higher Sierra elevations, providing a mixed blessing for skiers and ski resorts.

The poor driving conditions spoiled a traditionally busy three-day weekend, but it dropped the first fresh power the runs have seen since the weekend before Christmas.

The Desert Research Institute took advantage of the storm to fire up its cloud seeding generators throughout the Tahoe-Truckee and Walker watersheds, as well as in the Ruby Mountains near Tuscarora, according to spokesman John Doherty.

The Tahoe snowpack fell from about 130 percent of average just before Christmas to 73 percent of average by late last week.

"We're still below normal for snowfall and water equivalent totals at the Truckee River and Lake Tahoe," National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Pike said on Monday.

He said another stormy impulse was expected on Wednesday, possibly followed by a respite from the rain and snow.

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