reno

A storm that dropped over a foot of snow at higher elevations around Lake Tahoe is hanging around Thursday evening.

Chain controls are in place on roads in the Sierra including Highway 50, I-80, State Route 88 and 89, Kingsbury Grade and Spooner Summit. On Hwy 50 they start as low as Kyburz, Dew Drop on SR-88 and Baxter on I-80 as of 5:10 p.m.

The winter storm warning is in effect until 4:00 a.m. Friday morning. A few more inches of snow is forecast for lake level.

Drier conditions with mild temperatures will return for the weekend and early next week

Dry and cool conditions will prevail this weekend as weak high pressure moves over the region according to the National Weather Service in Reno. A weak disturbance may bring very light snow for parts of eastern California Sunday night and Monday,
but this system is trending drier. A stronger, cold storm is expected late Wednesday into Thursday, bringing more snow to the Sierra and possibly to lower elevations. There is a chance that storm could split on Thursday and not hit Tahoe at all.

The forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno:

It's been awhile, but its time to get the chains ready if you're without 4WD and snow tires! A long awaited storm is making its way into the Lake Tahoe basin. A Winter Storm Warning is in place for Lake Tahoe until 4:00 p.m. Friday.

I-80 over Donner Pass has had chain controls go up at about 7:00 p.m. but Highway 50 over Echo Summit just saw chain controls go up at 10:15 p.m.

As of 10:35 p.m. Thursday:

Highway 50 from Meyers to Twin Bridges

The man injured in January 14th's honey oil lab explosion in Gardnerville has been identified.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said 22-year-old Adam Fitzgerald-Wermes suffered third-degree burns after an explosion stemming from an illicit Butane Hash Oil (BHO) extraction process.

At 2:40 p.m., emergency personnel responded to a call of fire at the Crestmore Apartments. Upon arrival they located an extinguished appliance fire and an injured male with third degree burns.

If you're a fan of The Bachelor and watched Monday night, you might have caught a glimpse of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains as the backdrop of next week's episode.

This year's bachelor is Arie Luyendyk Jr., a former Formula 1 racer who left the world of racing to become a successful estate broker in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A man was burned Sunday during an illicit Butane Hash Oil (BHO) extraction process in an apartment in Gardnerville, Nevada.

At 2:40 p.m. January 14, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and East Fork Fire Protection District responded to a structure fire at the Stodick Apartments. When emergency personnel arrived they located an extinguished appliance fire and an injured male from the fire with third degree burns. The burn victim was transported by air ambulance to Renown Medical Center in Reno.

Hello fellow anglers, welcome to the new year and may it bring you tighter lines. I can truly say the Topaz Lake fishing derby is off to a very good start.

On opening day they were plenty of anglers enjoying a fair weather day, where it be from shore or from boat. Most anglers were very successful. I had the pleasure of fishing with Mike and Tom Blotter. We were on the lake at 6 a.m. and had lines in the water right at the precise moment of opening day. We covered the lake in a variety of depths.

A leading national weather conference, Operation Sierra Storm (OSS), returns to the South Shore January 21-24 and locals are invited to attend a morning of their presentations. OSS brings together national weather broadcasters and journalists, prominent scientists and experts.

Are extreme weather events linked to global warming? How do weather broadcasters decide what is aired?

The question I get asked the most when sharing that I’m a member of PATH (Partners Against the Trafficking of Humans) is: Is human trafficking happening here in South Lake Tahoe? The answer is yes, although solid numbers are hard to come by. Recently, it was reported in local media that 14 people were arrested and one 17 year old girl rescued from a trafficking ring in El Dorado County that included South Lake Tahoe, Placerville, and El Dorado Hills.

A two vehicle crash Saturday morning on South Carson Street at the intersection of Koontz Lane has claimed the life of an 81-year-old Carson City resident, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Rosemary Frenzel Stroup died from injuries sustained in the crash that happened at around 8:50 a.m. Saturday. According to NHP, troopers responded to the serious injury crash on South Carson Street at the intersection with Koontz Lane.

The USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships will be held in Reno at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park January 9-14, 2018. The park will be transformed into a course that will see the nation’s leading amateur and professional cyclocross racers. Thirty-six national titles are on the line. National champions will be crowned in junior, collegiate, U23, masters, and elite divisions.

With the Sierra snowpack at three percent of normal at Echo Summit, and 84 percent of normal at top of Mt. Rose, snow is needed not only on the slopes, but at upper elevations to keep reservoirs full of water for summer.

The weather pattern remains unsettled into the weekend in Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe. A warm and relatively weak system Friday evening into Saturday will bring
additional rain and high elevation snow to the region. A brief break is expected Sunday before a stronger and wetter system is forecast to impact the region Monday and Tuesday.

The Nevada Departments of Transportation and Public Safety are reminding Nevadans to share the road after Nevada pedestrian traffic deaths rose in 2017 amid a decline in overall statewide traffic deaths.

In 2017, Douglas County had a rise in all deaths on the road: Fatal crashes up from 5 to 9, fatalities up from 5 to 11, alcohol fatal crashes up from 1 to 2, and number of fatalities in those crashes up from 1 to 3.

Temperatures are well above normal in Lake Tahoe and there is no snow in sight, for now. The highs will be in the 50s and will be close to record breaking.

There is a persistent ridge of high pressure along the West Coast, preventing major storms from breaking through and bringing snow to Lake Tahoe. Expect things to not change through New Year's Day, but there is some hope for precipitation at the end of next week.

A front will drop down near Susanville this weekend, but nothing is expected further south, but temperatures will drop a couple of degrees.

Abundant mid and high clouds and periods of gusty winds in the high Sierra are expected through the weekend, leaving Lake Tahoe with party sunny conditions for Christmas. Abundant mid and high clouds and periods of gusty winds in the high Sierra are expected through the weekend.

A very weak system is passing through Northeastern California and Northern Nevada next week, and with it comes a very slight chance of snow coming into the Lake Tahoe Basin, but more precipiation will be staying near the Oregon border.

The 14th annual Holiday With a Hero campaign culminated Wednesday in Carson City at Walmart after months of fundraising. At least 240 homeless children from across the Carson City School District met with Santa Claus before being paired with first responder heroes for a Christmas shopping spree.

The popular and dynamic business event, the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) Business Expo, is now accepting booth registrations and early bird discounts are now in place.

The event this year is on March 30, 2018 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will be held at Harveys Lake Tahoe.

The fog was socked in around Lake Tahoe Wednesday morning, but its starting to recede and retreat and should be all clear by noon.

It isn't often when the temperature of the lake is warmer than the air, but that is what happens when fog is created. The cold air mass condensates into clouds and sits low over the lake and South Lake Tahoe. The ski resorts were sitting above the fog and had a very sunny morning.

Dr. Devendra I. Patel, aka Devendrakumar I. Patel, 58, of Elko, Nev., was arrested Tuesday on 39 charges of unlawful distribution of prescriptions opioids and Medicaid fraud.

Patel is charged with 36-counts of distribution of controlled substances such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, and three-counts of health care fraud. He is a cardiologist at his medical practice, Northeastern Nevada Cardiology. The statutory maximum penalty for distribution of a controlled substance is 10 years in prison and the maximum penalty for health care fraud is 10 years in prison.

The have been eight tremblers in the Mammoth Lakes / Mono Lake area in the last 12 hours, the smallest measured 1.2 on the Richter Scale, the largest at 3.7, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory on the UNR campus.

This area is a very active earthquake area, with swarms not unusual as it is one of the most seismically active volcanic regions in California. In 2014, there were more than 600 registered earthquakes in Mammoth in 36 hours.

While snow is falling along the southern part of the U.S. from Texas to Virginia, Lake Tahoe is experiencing a high pressure system with dry conditions with valley inversions, cold nights and light winds for the next 10 days. Daytime highs will be 5-8 degrees above average, and the overnight lows will be below average.

Air stagnation forecast from limited mixing and light winds which will promote hazy skies and potential air quality issues under the 5,000 foot level.

Highs in the low-50s, lows under 20 is in the forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno:

Brrrrrr...

The week ahead in South Lake Tahoe will be a clear one, but very cold as a strong high pressure system builds over the Sierra causing prolonged periods of strong morning inversions.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a wind advisory for Lake Tahoe from 1:00 p.m. Monday to 10:00 a.m. Tuesday. Winds will be from the East 15-25 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Over the ridges will be as high as 80 mph.

The grand hall at MontBleu Casino Resort has been turned into a holiday paradise, a winter wonderland with the main attraction being the specialty Christmas trees.

On Thursday, local celebrities and media strolled by each of the designer trees, selecting those that won top honors of Most Elegant, Best Theme, Most Creative and Best of Show.

The excellent work on each made it almost impossible to come up with a winner, but four were chosen after much deliberation. Each tree will be paired with a special prize package during a live auction at Saturday's Gala.

It took less than two weeks for the U.S. Forest Service to sell out of Christmas tree cutting permits. Since November 13, the first day of sales, 2,250 permits were sold from the USFS offices in South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village and Tahoe City. No additional permits will be authorize for this season.

Permits may still be available in locations outside of the Tahoe Basin. Call ahead to see if they still have the $10 permits on hand:

Bureau of Land Management
Carson City Office
5665 Morgan Mill Road,
Carson City, NV 89701
775-885-6000