Watch for more cold weather, frozen pipes

Tuesday's fire that consumed a manufactured home being used as an office serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of frozen pipes.

Plumber Ralph Rowe, with A Rooter Man in Carson City, said homeowners should keep their heat on as much as possible and keep a light trickle of water running to prevent frozen pipes.

But if they do freeze, Rowe said, you never want to take an open flame to them.

"You want to call a professional," he said. "We have special equipment to thaw pipes."

He said they can also winterize them to help prevent future freezing.

A plumber can generally be at a client's house within the hour, Rowe said, and the procedure can cost anywhere between $200 and $600.

Frozen pipes were among several weather-related hardships as temperatures plummeted Tuesday night to 5 degrees below zero.

The coldest recorded temperatures for Carson City in December was in 1932 when the mercury dropped to negative 26 degrees on the 13th, according to Michelle Breckner, a service climatologist at the Western Regional Climate Center.

So far, 13.5 inches of snow have fallen in Carson City this December. The record is 30 inches in December 1941, according to the climate center.

The bulk of that snow, 13 inches, fell Monday, just one inch short of the daily snowfall record for December set in 2004, the climate center reported.

More freezing temperatures are on the way, according to the National Weather Service, with snow likely in the forecast.

According to a report issued by the weather service Wednesday, "Very cold air will remain over the Sierra and Western Nevada through Thursday, with daytime temperatures remaining below freezing Thursday."

Light snow accumulations are possible in the area tonight and Friday morning.

"A stronger system should arrive Friday night or Saturday. At this time uncertainty remains in the snow potential for the lower elevations. Significant snowfall is possible in the Sierra this weekend," according to the report.

Highs today are expected to be near 33 degrees, with a low around 23.

Snow is likely Friday, with a high near 41 and a low around 31.

More snow may fall over the weekend with highs in the upper 30s to mid-40s and lows in the mid- to upper 20s.