Heavy snow forces closure of Washoe schools

RENO - The winter vacation will last at least another day for Washoe County schoolchildren.

Slick, snow-covered streets that resulted from a powerful storm have prompted officials to cancel school today in the state's second biggest school district.

Local government officials said their snow-removal crews wouldn't have all roads plowed by then, which would make travel dangerous.

"Based on their concerns about road conditions, especially on side streets and residential areas, we don't think it'll be safe on Monday," Washoe County school district spokesman Steve Mulvenon said.

District staff will determine today whether to reopen schools Tuesday, Mulvenon said. Missed days would be made up in June.

School also was canceled today in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

A powerful winter storm dumped as much as 8 feet of snow in the Tahoe area and 4 feet of snow in the Reno area on Thursday and Friday - the heaviest snowfall in Reno in nearly 15 years.

But another storm expected to drop as much as 8 inches of snow Sunday on Reno fizzled.

Reno, Sparks and Washoe County government offices are scheduled to resume normal operations today.

While snow-removal crews have made progress on main streets in the Reno area, officials said, efforts on residential streets are being hampered by hard-packed snow and ice.

"Until a significant softening of hard-packed snow and ice takes place there is little that can be done immediately on residential streets," officials said in a joint news release.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s and 30s through late this week, slowing melting of snow and ice.

Snow-removal crews have been working 12-hour shifts 'round the clock since the start of the storms last week.