Winter storm bearing down on Sierra, northern Nevada

Monday, Oct. 9, 2000 | 4:19 a.m.

The disturbance churned out of the eastern Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest, where it slowed on its advance toward northern Nevada.

A winter storm warning remained in effect in the Sierra into Tuesday, where forecasters said chain controls were likely on the mountain passes by daybreak.

However Steve Brown, meteorologist in charge for the National Weather Service in Reno, said that while winter driving preparations were in order, waxing the skis would be premature.

"This is probably an Indian summer thing," he said. "It ought to be moving through fairly quickly. That's a pretty normal fall pattern.

"Systems move across the Pacific, slam into the Sierra, dump snow in the mountains and we get a little bit of precipitation in the valleys."

The outlook called for snow by morning around the Lake Tahoe shoreline with accumulations of 3-6 inches possible at lake level with a foot or more above 7,000 feet.

On the other side of the state, snow was possible on the valley floors around the Elko area, posing a hazard to hunters, the weather service said.

Much cooler temperatures were to accompany the wet conditions along with gusty winds. Highs Tuesday will be 15-20 degrees below Monday's readings in the upper 60s and low 70s.

The front was expected to spill into southern Nevada, where snow was forecast above 7,000 feet around Mount Charleston and Lee and Kyle canyons west of Las Vegas with rain and a chance of thundershowers at lower elevations in the Las Vegas Valley.

Temperatures, which have been in the high 80s to low 90s, were expected to drop into the mid-60s to mid-70s accompanied by blustery winds.

The cool, unsettled weather will continue most of the week.