More storm systems moving into area

Using an ice pick and a shovel, Egon Svendsen, 70, determinedly cleaned his sidewalk along Saliman Road on Monday.

"What time is it?" he asked. "I came out here about an hour and 15 minutes ago, when Bob Barker was no longer on."

His wife thinks he's been overdoing it, but he says he needs to keep the sidewalks clean, a tough task when snowplows on Saliman push snow back into his yard.

"We're new to Nevada, and our neighbors told us we're responsible for clearing our sidewalks," he said.

Svendsen, who moved to the United States in 1946 with his family, said he's used to the snow because of the deep amounts that fell in his native Denmark.

"It's not hard work keeping the sidewalks clean," he said. "You just have to keep it off."

He measured 10 inches of snow Friday on the roof of his home when he went up to brush it off the satellite dish, which was no longer receiving a signal.

He and wife, Janet, who recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, went to Reno for the New Year's weekend. Resting his hand on his new Honda CR-V, he says: "I wouldn't even have left the driveway without this."

His Ford 350 pickup, by comparison, has left him stuck in snow on Saliman.

"This is fabulous," he said of his Honda. "I've never had anything like this before."

What's coming in

Svendsen may be done cleaning his sidewalks for now, but two more storm systems are moving in Northern Nevada's direction, according to the National Weather Service.

"Our next real big concern is later on in the week," said meteorologist Brian Brong. "It looks like we have one system that could come in Thursday night or Friday. That looks pretty good. The mountains are going to get a decent amount of snow from that."

A second low-pressure storm is expected to come through during the weekend.

"That one could be pretty good," he said. "It looks similar to what we had. It's tough to say if it's going to be exactly the same. It doesn't drop quite as far as south as the one before New Year's."

High temperatures are expected to remain the 30s all week.

"It may get close (to the 40s) Wednesday and Thursday when we actually dry out a little bit," he said. "We could lose some cloud cover and get a little more sun."

Conditions have just been right to bring in the snow Northern Nevada has seen this winter season, he said.

"We've had a lot of systems dropping down from the north. That kinda helps to get some snow amounts down in the valley."

City policy

According to the city's snow and ice control policy, snow removal on sidewalks is the adjacent property owner's responsibility. Within an hour of being tagged, vehicles left in snow emergency routes will be towed at the owner's expense.

A snow emergency can be declared when up to 4 inches of snow has fallen, or for other reasons deemed valid by the city.

Emergency snow routes will be plowed when a depth of 2 inches has been reached, or when it is snowing and there is a forecast for continuing snow.

Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.

Ways to stay safe on the roads and at home:

• Remove snow from the top of vehicles before driving. When braking, snow from your roof can obscure your own view or someone's else, creating a dangerous situation.

• Clear your rear license plate of snow.

• Check your washer fluid level and wiper blades.

• Always wear your seat belt.

• Look out for melting and freezing snow, which can cause black ice.

• Clear your propane tanks, pipes and regulators of snow, which could cause gas leaks if they break or snap from freezing.

• Clear drainage pipes and basins of snow to help with runoff and to prevent flooding.

• Learn how to turn off water valves in your home, in case a pipe bursts.

• When clearing snow from your driveway, pile it to the left of your driveway (when looking at your home from the road) to minimize the amount pushed in by snowplows.

ROAD CONDITIONS

For updated weather reports, call the National Weather Service at 673-8130 or go to www.wrh.noaa.gov/rev.

For updated road conditions, call 1 (877) 687-6237, or tune to 1610 AM in Carson City.