Snow blankets Sierra resorts, Nevada roads

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003 | 7:01 a.m.

Skiers were delighted, but motorists were not. Snow continued falling in the Sierra on Monday, blanketing not only ski runs, but the highways that ran past them as well.

Chains were mandatory on Interstate-80 past Boreal Mountain Resort, Which became the first ski area in the Lake Tahoe Basin to open on Saturday. Others were expected to follow later in the month.

"Winter is here," National Weather Service meteorologist Rhett Milne said in Reno.

He said the power of the storm that moved in on Friday took forecasters by surprise, especially coming on the heels of a week of record high temperatures.

"We had a pretty good feel we were going to get snow, but not in these amounts," he said.

Boreal, at the 7,200-foot level atop Donner Summit, got up to 16 inches of snow, while Alpine Meadows on the west side of Lake Tahoe reported 2-3 feet.

"The first snowfall always gets people psyched for winter, but this is way more than we expected for the beginning of November," Alpine spokesman Brad Wilson said. "The snow depth on the base area sun deck alone is above my knees."

Heavenly Valley, at Tahoe's south shore, turned on its snow-making equipment Thursday afternoon as temperatures dropped ahead of the storm.

"We've been anticipating this change in the weather for several days now. However, we had no idea the temperatures would be this cold," said Jim Larmore, Heavenly's director of snow surfaces.

While motorists were chaining up in the Sierra on Monday, commuters were caught in a potent snow squall that hit the Lakeview Hill area at the north end of Carson City, coating U.S. 395 with an inch or so of snow that sent unwary drivers spinning into the median and off the side of the highway. There were no serious injuries.

"Every time it snows, we tell people to slow down, plan better and give more space," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Stewart.

Skies cleared following the morning snow and were expected to remain partly cloudy through Thursday, when a chance of rain or snow was possible.

Highs, which were in the 70s and 80s a week before, were expected to struggle to reach the 40s, with lows in the teens and low 20s.