Another winter storm invades Sierra

Thursday, Feb. 19, 1998 | 9:41 a.m.

A winter storm warning was in effect today for the eastern slopes of the Sierra, and Mono County in the southern Sierra from this afternoon through evening.

Snow began falling the Lake Tahoe region early today. Chains were mandatory on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit. Chains or snow tires were required on most other trans-Sierra roadways, including the Mount Rose Highway southwest of Reno, U.S. 50 and Highways 88 and 98 in California.

The National Weather Service predicted up to a foot of new snow at the higher elevations around Lake Tahoe, and 4 inches to 8 inches below 7,000 feet. Another 2-4 inches was possible overnight.

Winds to 30 mph, gusting to more than 60 mph over the ridgetops, could create whiteout conditions and hazardous driving conditions later in the day, forecasters said.

Predictions for the Mammoth Lakes region called for up to 2 feet of snow by Friday morning.

Rain was expected in the Reno-Carson City area early in the day before possibly changing to snow later on.

The outlook for Friday called for partly cloudy skies, but the break in the stormy conditions was expected to be short-lived.

Another system fueled by El Nino was expected to move in for the weekend.