Typhoon visits Nevada, brings lots of rain, snow

The storm system that hit Northern Nevada Tuesday morning was "a rare event," National Weather Service meteorologist Scott McGuire said.

The remnants of Typhoon Melor that hit Japan last week - a "super typhoon" - came across the north Pacific and combined with a powerful jet stream off the Northwest Coast most of the day, McGuire said.

"They were the perfect ingredients," he said.

The heaviest rains came through Tuesday, and about 2 inches were predicted in the valleys before the storm moves out today. More than a foot of snow was expected at higher elevations.

McGuire called the storm "quick-moving," turning into strong winds throughout the night. A high-wind warning was in effect from 5 p.m. Tuesday through 5 a.m. today with south-to-southwest winds 25-35 mph and gusts up to 65 mph.

Strong gusts were anticipated in wind-prone areas like Washoe Valley, possibly causing damage to trees, fences and power lines, he said.

The forecast for today calls for showers with highs around 64 degrees. Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy with highs of 72 degrees. Friday will be sunny with 74-degree highs.

Several scattered power outages were reported throughout the day Tuesday, but the largest, affecting 1,325 customers primarily in the Mound House and east Carson City area, was

attributed to equipment failure, said NVEnergy spokesman

Karl Walquist.

The outage was reported around 2 p.m. Most homes were back in service by 3:15 p.m. Service to the remaining 100-150 customers in the Laxalt Drive area was expected to restored by about 6 p.m.

The equipment failure occurred at the Brunswick Substation near U.S. 50 East and was caused by rain water affecting a number of insulators that needed to be replaced, Walquist said.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen said there was only one weather-related accident around the Carson City area Tuesday afternoon. The single-vehicle accident occurred on U.S. 50 near Lake Tahoe. One person was reported to have received minor injuries.

The Associated Press reported that there were several minor accidents on Mount Rose Highway Tuesday where several vehicles slid off the road.