Concern turns to relief as rains end

Tom Gardner

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 11:39 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Sandbags came out in low-lying areas of western Nevada on Tuesday at about the same time the sun did, easing the threat of serious flooding along streams and the East Fork of the Carson River.

Washoe County inmate crews began filling and stacking sandbags along Steamboat Ditch in Pleasant Valley, a site of extensive flooding over New Year's in 1997, and in the Franktown Road area of Washoe Valley.

Sandbags also were in place around the Carson Valley Golf Course, the lower Gardnerville Ranchos and the Willow Bend area of Genoa in Douglas County.

A flood warning along the East Fork was canceled a few hours after it was issued when officials discovered that it was prompted by a faulty gauge and the river was below flood stage.

"Heavy rainfall overnight, combined with snowmelt, produced a moderate rise on the East Fork Carson River, but no flooding is expected," National Weather Service hydrologist Gary Barbato said.

No flooding was expected along any other western Nevada rivers, which began falling during the day, although the Truckee crested less than a foot below flood stage in the Vista-Lockwood and Wadsworth-Nixon areas before the rain tapered off.

Forecasters said the next in this week's series of Pacific storms, was expected to be much colder, creating driving problems in the Sierra, but easing the likelihood of more runoff from the hefty mountain snowpack.

A snow advisory was in effect for the Lake Tahoe Basin through Tuesday night and areas of Mono County above 6,500 feet were under a winter storm warning overnight.

Seven inches of snow had fallen since daybreak at the 8,200-foot level of Mammoth Mountain and forecasters were calling for 4-8 inches of new snow in the Tahoe Basin and up to a foot at the higher elevations of Mono County, accompanied by very strong winds over the ridges.

New accumulations in the Sierra by early Tuesday ranged from a dusting to 8 inches on U.S. 50 at Echo Summit and 15 inches at Sugar Bowl along Interstate-80. Mount Rose, south of Reno, picked up 26 inches.

Reno received an inch of rain from the soggy storm, Minden, an inch and a quarter and Carson City, 1.62 inches.

The weather outlook called for a breather the rest of the week with only showers predicted and with snow levels hovering in the 5,500-6,500 foot range, or from a little above the valley floors of western Nevada to about the level of Lake Tahoe.