Early snow blankets valleys

A weather system that left up to 8 inches of snow in Carson City should linger through the weekend but with lighter accumulations of snow.

The weather is expected to tame in the next few days, said Weather Service Specialist Al Cox. Between Thursday and today an additional 1 inch of snow is expected. Into the weekend, scattered snow showers have a 40 percent chance of hitting Eagle and Carson valleys. By Sunday the current weather system will start to weaken, with expected cloudy skies.

Surprisingly, a major snow accumulation was recorded in Dayton, where weather service workers measured 4 to 5 inches. That topped Carson, where the measurements ranged from 3 inches on the north end to 8 inches in the south. Lakeview's extreme snowfall necessitated a road closure and plowing Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Minden had the deepest snowfall between Wednesday night and Thursday morning with an 8 1/2-inch accumulation of snow. Mound House was also hit hard with 4 inches of snowfall.

"There will be a warming trend this weekend," Cox said. In Carson City on Thursday temperatures reached a high of 40 degrees and a low of 23 degrees.

The Carson City street department had two crews out overnight. Many of Carson's side streets were cleared before 6 a.m.

Just as the effects of the snowfall were subsiding, a 4:45 p.m. lightning strike in West Carson knocked power out for several blocks along North Carson Street. Traffic backed up for nearly an hour while crews restored power. Deputies directed traffic in busy intersections where street lights were out.

Sierra Pacific spokesman Karl Walquist said the strike affected about 30 customers along Carson Street, including the Nevada Appeal.

Thunder from the strike could be heard all over the north side of town and accompanied a blackout.

When power came back a single line failed, causing a brown-out. Full power was restored by 5:30 p.m.