More snow forecast as Carson assesses damage from last storm

This story was updated at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

A winter storm warning for the greater Sierra region is in effect until Friday as Carson City residents and businesses cope with leftover snow from New Year’s weekend.

The National Weather Service issued the warning and is advising people to avoid travel through the mountains. Road conditions can be accessed by calling 511 or go to nvroads.com.

According to the NWS, another storm is expected to arrive in the region Wednesday morning. Carson has roughly half a foot of snow on the ground from the last storm. A few of inches of additional snowfall are possible for western Nevada on Wednesday, with up to eight inches expected for higher elevations. As a second systems arrives Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, winds will pick up significantly. More snowfall in the valleys Thursday is likely.

“Travel impacts will become much more widespread and hazardous for much of the region Thursday morning,” said the NWS.

Additional storms are forecast for Saturday and Sunday and next Monday and Tuesday.

“There may not even be much of a break in snow for the Sierra during these four days as these waves of moisture and forcing come rather quickly in succession,” said the NWS. “While being several days out, details and timing will be further refined. The initial wave Saturday-Sunday doesn't look quite as strong compared to the Monday-Tuesday storm, but is likely to have lower snow levels, so travel impacts and accumulating snow could spread more into western Nevada.”

On Tuesday, Carson City opened a warming shelter at Fire Station 51, located at 777 S. Stewart St., to aid those without power. As of Monday, NV Energy was reporting more than 1,000 customers in the area without power.

Carson City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ronni Hannaman said Tuesday most Carson businesses are open, but she advised customers call first to check.

“Right now, people are assessing damage caused to trees due to the heavy snow,” she said. “We are open and noticed limbs were not able to bear the brunt of the wet snow, thus thinking tree services will be busy. Best guidance for folks — when out and about — drive carefully. Businesses are open but be sure to call the smaller businesses first.”

Miriam Savacool, owner of Healthy Trees located off Curry Street, said the tree service company has averaged about 20 calls a day since the last blast of snow. She said regular appointments by some have had to wait as crews respond to hazardous conditions.

“A lot of stuff we can’t do right now because it’s in deep snow anyway,” she said. “It’s all broken limbs and felled trees. Very large limbs on roofs and cars. Trees weighed down so much they’ve actually fallen over completely. It’s just a hazard and a big cleanup. Any calls we get, we do what we can to help.”

Savacool urged residents to avoid hazardous tree limbs.

“Try not to get out there and do something yourself,” she said. “Call professionals.”

Healthy Trees can be reached at 775-224-3827.

Even before the holidays, a wet December prompted city officials to remind residents and business owners to keep sidewalks clear. On Tuesday, city departments were reporting a large increase in service calls.

“The significant storm that hit Northern Nevada over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day taxed our fire and emergency medical resources,” said Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon. “Our call volume tripled over the 31^st and 1^st, and we are still busier than normal. It was not uncommon for us to have multiple lower priority calls holding. What this means to you, our citizens, is that help may be delayed.”

Slamon said with more storms on the horizon, residents should be prepared.

“Please make sure you are prepared and reach out to your neighbors, especially the elderly, to ensure they are prepared and safe,” he said.

Slamon provided a list of items residents should have ready, including water, nonperishable foods, a manual can opener, a first aid kit, spare batteries, flashlights and battery-operated lanterns, a generator if available, a portable radio (battery operated), spare blankets, a plan for pets, and, in case going to a shelter is necessary, medications, glasses and a phone charger.

Darren Schulz, director of Carson City Public Works, said residents should make extra time for travel.

“Just because a road is plowed doesn’t mean that it is not slippery or dangerous due to stacked snow nearby,” he said.

He said Public Works is responsible for approximately 624 total lane miles of roads.

“To provide the best level of service over such a large area during snow events, routes have been designated by priority,” he said. “Routes are prioritized based on traffic volume, school bus routes, terrain, transit, and institutional knowledge of historical problem areas. The snowplows in Carson City have been working all weekend (day and night) and will continue to work until roads are cleared.”

Schulz said the department does not have enough plows or staff to respond to all roads quickly “with this amount of snow.”

“Even once roads are cleared, there will be stacked snow along the rights-of-way and will continue to be dangerous,” he said. “Public Works will make every effort to clear lower priority residential roadways in heavily populated areas as resources allow. Higher priority routes may require plowing several times a day depending on the conditions and severity of the event.”

NV Energy is also preparing for additional snow. In a Jan. 4 press release, the company said 71,000 customers were affected by the New Year’s storm. In response, NV Energy is bringing in more lineman.

“The company, in response to last weekend’s storm and in preparation for the coming winter storms, has brought in and staged additional lineman resources from throughout Nevada, Oregon and Utah to respond as effectively as possible to any impacts of the coming storm,” the release said.

“These extra crews, when added to our existing NV Energy teams, more than triple the strength of our outage response, and help ensure we have every resource available to minimize the number and duration of outages that could result from the upcoming winter storm,” said Doug Cannon, NV Energy president and chief executive officer.

The company has been providing accommodations to those still affected by the New Year’s storm, the release said.

“We know that these extended outages have caused tremendous stress for thousands of our customers, and it is our goal to ensure they have access to essential services in order to stay safe,” Cannon said.

NV Energy offered proactive tips for the next storm cycle, such as charging cell phones and laptops. More tips are available at www.nvenergy.com/outageprep.

According to the California Department of Water Resources, the central Sierra region is at 182 percent normal snowpack for this time of the year, while the Southern Sierra is now over 200 percent normal for this time of year.

The nonemergency dispatch lines for the Carson City Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office are (775) 887-FIRE (3473) and (775) 887-COPS (2677).