Sierra gets blanket of snow

RENO, Nev. (AP) — More than two feet of new snow snarled traffic in the Sierra on Monday while record rainfall in Reno forced the closure of one school and caused minor flooding that shut down some streets.

A winter storm warning remained in effect around Lake Tahoe until 11 p.m. Monday. But a stretch of Interstate 80 that closed overnight reopened, and floodwaters on rivers and streams continued to recede along the Sierra’s eastern front.

The storm packing winds gusting up to 90 mph Sunday night dropped 29 inches of snow on Donner Pass, where I-80 crosses the top of the Sierra west of Truckee, California, the National Weather Service said.

All schools were closed Monday at Incline Village on Lake Tahoe’s north shore, where up to 18 inches of snow was recorded. A foot of snow was reported in California on Tahoe’s west shore at Homewood and five inches at South Lake Tahoe.

Snow and rain throughout the weekend helped raise the water level at Lake Tahoe back above the natural rim, allowing water to resume flowing into the Truckee River at Tahoe City, California.

More than six inches of rain was reported west of Reno, nearly five inches in the valleys north of town, and more than five inches in parts of Carson City.

Reno High School closed because of major damage in multiple classrooms from rain through a leaky roof Sunday and overnight to Monday.

The Truckee River was receding from near flood stage on Monday after a record 1.88 inches of rain was recorded Sunday at Reno Tahoe-International Airport, breaking the old record for the day of 0.86 inches set in 1951.

By Monday morning, more than 2.5 inches had fallen at the airport over a 24-hour period, pushing the October rainfall total to a record 2.82 inches, breaking the old mark of 2.65 inches set in 2010.