Kevin Clifford/ Nevada Appeal First-grader Henry Wojtowicz, 6, runs with his umbrella during recess at Fremont Elementary School on Tuesday. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. today.
The Eagle and Carson valleys are under a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters are predicting residents will awake to 2-6 inches of snow this morning with gusty winds and blowing snow.
According to the weather service, a strong storm in the Gulf of Alaska was expected to reach the northern Sierra Nevada on Tuesday. A cold front associated with this storm will pass through western Nevada today. Snow and gusty winds up to 50 mph or faster will occur over much of the region through today.
The weather service is warning travelers to be prepared for hazardous winter weather conditions.
High winds are expected to fuel the storm, with 40 mph gusts expected at lake level and 110 mph gusts along ridgetops.
Snow totals could be up to 16 inches at lake level and 2 feet above 7,000 feet, said Rudy Cruz, meteorologist with the Reno-based weather service.
"The storm is coming down from the Gulf of Alaska and has some power to it," he said.
The storm looks "more like a typical winter weather pattern," Cruz said. "Since we've had warm November and December storms, this is more like a typical winter pattern for this time of year. Hopefully we will get a lot of water content out of it."
Last weekend's storm ended up producing more snow than expected.
With the 24 to 30 inches of snow that fell in the higher elevations over the weekend, and with this storm system, ski resorts should have plenty to be thankful for, coming off of December's warm storms that brought mostly rain.
"It's good for the region and it's good for the message: Tahoe and Kirkwood are getting dumped on," said Tracy Miller, spokeswoman for Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
From top to bottom so far this season, Kirkwood has received 180 to 320 inches, said Miller.
Road Conditions
For winter road conditions:
Call 1 (877) 687-6237
On the Net
Nevada Department of Transportation:
www.nevadadot.com