Surf's up at Lake Tahoe as storm moves inland
RENO — The big storm hitting the West Coast and Northern Nevada brought snow for the skiers, Lake Tahoe waves for the surfers, and lots of hassle for everyone else.
The wind-driven winter storm blasted through the Reno-Tahoe area Thursday, with gusts exceeding 140 mph in parts of the Sierra Nevada, snow and some rain in the valleys. Trees and fences toppled, Lake Tahoe whipped into a boil and homes lost power throughout the day.
The storm is expected to linger into Friday, with some rain and snow in the mountains forecast but with the pounding wind that caused most of the problems lessening throughout the morning.
At Reno-Tahoe International Airport, 50 mph winds caused flight delays and cancellations, meteorologist Edan Weishahn said.
The storm deposited a layer of fresh powder at the ski resorts and sent surfers out onto the high chop on Lake Tahoe, which looked more like an oceanfront than a mountain lake.
Travel was restricted along southbound Interstate 580, from Mount Rose Highway to Carson City. The Nevada Highway Patrol reported no major car accidents, Trooper David Gibson said.
Weishahn said the storm was expected to drop up to 2 feet of snow in areas above 7,000 feet. That included up to a foot at lake level in Tahoe.
The mountains around Lake Tahoe, about three hours east of San Francisco near the Nevada border, are famed for recreation activities, particularly skiing. But drought conditions over the past two years have been hard on skiers and businesses that support them.
Overall, the area would need at least five more storms to put a dent in the drought, Weishahn said.
Although the storm marks the first of the season, it's not unusual.
"We usually have three to five winter storms, but we're behind by three years," Weishahn said. "We've gotten these types before."