Easter weekend storm increases snowpack

An Easter weekend storm brought some winter conditions to the Sierra and banked a little more snowpack for the first day of irrigation season on Monday.

Carson Pass was at 107 percent of median on Monday, with 31.7 inches of snow-water equivalent, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service telemetry. That’s nowhere near 2023’s maximum of 68.1 inches at the site near the top of the Carson River’s West Fork.

At the top of the East Fork, the weekend storm pushed Ebbetts Pass up to 33.3 inches of snow water, or 102 percent, for the first tine this season.

On Monday, Conservation Service Hydrologist Jeff Anderson took members of the media to the Mount Rose snow telemetry site. That site in the Truckee Basin was reading 105 percent of median of this time of year, but is a little short of the median peak.

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Slick conditions snarled Kingsbury Grade on Saturday afternoon prompting its closure as snow continues to fall in the Sierra.

A 2:35 p.m. collision was reported at Kingsbury and Tramway that prompted deputies to ask the state to sand the road.
Traffic backed up behind the collision that saw one person transported by ground ambulance to Barton in South Lake Tahoe for treatment.

By 3:30 p.m., authorities were looking to close the main route between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe to make room for snowplows.

The highway was plowed and reopened at 7:15 p.m., according to a post from Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District.

Heavy snow started to fall early Saturday afternoon, which took the Grade from not having any chain controls to being close to impassible.

An estimated 100 cars were stuck between Hussman Meadows to Tramway, a Douglas County deputy reported around 3:30 p.m.

Snow was starting to affect travel closer to Lake level with the Nevada State Police reporting two motorist assists in Glenbrook about 3:20 p.m.

The forecast calls for the possibility of 2-4 inches overnight in Minden due to snow bands.

“Hazardous traveling conditions continue to be expected going through the rest of today and into Sunday morning especially for the Sierra region with slick roads and lower visibilities due to the snowfall,” according to the National Weather Service in Reno. “If you must travel during the remainder of the holiday weekend, it is advised to take caution and prepare for these conditions.”