Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 | 8:56 p.m.
RENO — A powerful winter storm moving into the Sierra on Friday is expected to bring heavy snow and dangerous winds to Lake Tahoe through the weekend.
Christmas Day snow also is expected in Reno on the heels of a storm that soaked much of the state with rain and snow, including record rainfall in parts of eastern Nevada.
A winter storm warning issued Friday remains in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday for most of the Sierra, where as much as 3 feet (91 centimeters) of snow had fallen early Friday at Mammoth Mountain south of Yosemite National Park. About 2 feet (61 cm) fell Thursday at some Tahoe-area ski resorts.
As much as 5 feet (1.5 meters) of new snow is possible by Tuesday on mountain tops around Lake Tahoe. One to 3 feet (30-91 cm) to is expected at lake level. Wind gusts over ridges could exceed 100 mph (160 kph), the National Weather Service said.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the service said.
The storm warning runs through 11 p.m. Saturday for Reno-Sparks and Carson City. Three to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) is expected in the valleys, up to 10 inches (25 cm) above 5000 feet (1.5 kilometers).
On Thursday, a slow-moving front dumped the most rain parts of eastern Nevada have seen on the date in more than a half century.
The Ely Airport near the Utah line set records for both rain and snow. The 0.61 inch (1.5 cm) of rain broke the old record of 0.55 (1.4 cm) set in 1955. The 3.6 inches (19 cm) of snow bettered 3 inches (7.6 cm) set in 2001.
A record 0.41 inch (1 cm) of rain fell at Eureka, smashing the old of 0.14 inch (40 millimeters) set in 1968.
Nearly 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of rain was recorded in Reno-Sparks, and nearly 2.5 inches (6.3 cm) at Truckee, California.
In southern Nevada, 3.8 inches (9.6 cm of rain was reported in Kyle Canyon between Mt. Charleston and western Las Vegas but only 0.1 inch (20 millimeters) at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
