System brings light snow, slick roadways to Reno area

Monday, Dec. 22, 1997 | 9:39 a.m.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reported 26 weather-related accidents in the Reno-Carson City area alone over a seven-hour period ending at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Troopers said most of the accidents were minor and involved motorists who were driving too fast for icy road conditions. They said heavy traffic spurred by the Christmas shopping rush contributed to the high number of accidents. No fatalities were reported.

Traffic conditions were much more hazardous Sunday in the Reno area than Lake Tahoe, where few weather-related accidents were reported.

Motorists faced clear sailing on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit, but chains or snow tires were required Sunday on a 17-mile stretch of I-80 east of Reno.

Many other northern Nevada highways had similar controls, including Highway 207 over Kingsbury Grade and U.S Highway 395 from six miles south of Gardnerville to the California line.

"This system is a Great Basin-type event," said National Weather Service forecaster Jim Fischer. "There was more snow overall on the east slopes (of the Sierra) and in the Great Basin than in the Sierra."

Snow totals were generally light across the region, ranging from 2-3 inches at Alpine Meadows near Lake Tahoe to 1-2 inches in the Reno-Carson City area.

"What made the roads so slippery was the cold temperature," Fischer said. "The snow hit the ground and melted, then the air cools the water off and it freezes."

A return to dry weather was expected by Monday with only an outside chance of snow by Christmas Day in the region, according to the weather service.

"Most of these recent storms have been fairly weak so we might get a brief shot at snow showers for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," Fischer said.