Storm caps very snowy week in Sierra

RENO, Nev. - One of the strongest storms of the season dumped as much as 2 feet of snow Saturday in the Lake Tahoe area, capping a week that put the Sierra on target for a fifth straight year with an above-average snowpack.

The latest in a weeklong series of storms caused headaches for motorists but delighted Tahoe ski resort operators who are gearing up for another unusually long season.

The Heavenly resort on Lake Tahoe's south shore reported up to 2 feet of new snow Saturday and 8 feet for the week, while Kirkwood south of the lake got more than 18 inches of snow Saturday and 10 feet for the week.

North of Tahoe, Boreal reported up to 2 feet of new snow Saturday and 6 1/2 feet of snow for the week.

"It's incredible. The snowfall is simply amazing, but we're getting used to it," said Kirkwood spokeswoman Tania Magidson. "It seems to be happening on a regular basis for the last five years."

Heavenly spokeswoman Monica Bandows said the recent storms would ensure excellent skiing conditions for a long time.

"Last year, we operated to the end of May," she said. "It's still too early to tell, but it's looking good at this point for just as long a season this year."

A little more than a week ago, the snowpack in the Lake Tahoe Basin stood at 73 percent after hitting 130 percent of average just before Christmas. The snowpack was 124 percent before Saturday's storm.

Chains were mandatory Saturday on many highways in the Tahoe area, including Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and U.S. Highway 50 over Echo Summit.

Highway 88 over Carson Pass was closed most of Saturday because of avalanche danger and poor visibility.

I-80 in Truckee, Calif., and Nevada Route 431 over the Mount Rose Summit were temporarily closed Saturday morning after cars spun out of control.

No major accidents were reported.

Despite the storm, the World Cup mogul finals went off without a hitch at Heavenly. About 2,000 people watched the event, which features more than 200 competitors from 24 countries.

National Weather Service forecaster Steve Adams said northwest Nevada valleys, including the Reno and Carson City areas, received far less snow than expected.

Reno got only a trace of snow, less than the 4-6 inches forecast.

The weather service called for a slight chance of light snow Sunday and Monday.

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