Surprise snowstorm delays Easter holiday travelers in Reno-Tahoe area

Martin Griffith

Sunday, April 4, 1999 | 9:28 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Thousands of Easter holiday travelers faced delays Saturday when a surprise storm dumped up to a foot of snow and forced temporary closures of several major highways, including Interstate 80 over Donner Summit.

The latest in a weeklong series of storms also caused slick road conditions and poor visibility, and was blamed for dozens of traffic accidents in the Reno-Tahoe area.

At Reno-Tahoe International Airport, the storm caused at least eight flight cancellations and five diversions, spokesman Adam Mayberry said.

"We also had significant flight delays," he said. "I'd estimate that in excess of 75 percent of our afternoon flights were affected by the storm."

The storm left 8-10 inches of snow at the Boreal ski area west of Truckee, Calif., and up to a foot at higher elevations. Reno reported 2-4 inches of snow.

Chains or snow tires were required Saturday on nearly every highway in the region, including I-80, U.S. Highway 50 over Echo Summit and Highway 88 over Carson Pass.

The California Highway Patrol reported about 30 accidents on I-80 in the Sierra, while the Nevada Highway Patrol reported about 50 accidents on I-80 and U.S. Highway 395 in the Reno area. No major injuries were reported.

Accidents forced the closure of I-80's westbound lanes at the California line for about four hours and the closure of the interstate at Colfax, Calif. for about 30 minutes, a CHP dispatcher said.

Highway 50 was temporarily shut down over Echo Summit southwest of Lake Tahoe after a truck rig slid into a ditch.

Highway 395's northbound lanes north of Reno were closed for less than an hour after several traffic accidents, an NHP dispatcher said.

Despite the traffic problems, at least some Lake Tahoe ski resorts reported good crowds.

"The Easter holiday weekend is one of the biggest final hurrahs of the ski season," said Boreal spokeswoman Jody Churich, whose resort plans to stay open through April 25. "We're seeing a lot of families up for Easter."

National Weather Service forecaster Ray Collins said the fast-moving system dumped most of the snow over a three-hour period Saturday morning.

"It's not uncommon at all to get systems like this at this time of the year," he said. "It's a time of the year when we have variable weather."

The weather service was calling for another chance of rain and snow in the region beginning late Monday.