Snow snarls roads, keeps dumping in Tahoe

Updated Feb. 18 at 9:05am.

By Kathryn Reed

The National Weather Service in Reno was right – it was going to be a storm packed with feet of snow.

According to the agency, here are the storm totals as of 6am Feb. 18:

• Kirkwood – 24-48 in the last 24 hours; 48-52 inches in 48 hours

• Heavenly Valley – 21 inches in 24 hours; 32 inches in 48 hours

Traffic at 4am Feb. 18 right before the passing lane ends in Twin Bridges. Photo/Rebecca Schwartz

• Homewood – 24-32 inches in 24 hours

• Donner Peak – 22-26 inches in 24 hours

• Reno – 4 inches in 24 hours.

The snow map tells a story of snow totals.

A winter storm warning remains in effect until 9am Saturday. Another 1-2 feet of snow could fall at the lake, with 3 feet on the West Shore. Expect 2-4 feet above 7,000 feet.

Winds will be 50-70mph on the mountain passes and ridges.

All schools in Douglas County are closed, as is Tahoe Truckee Unified and Washoe County School District.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency offices are closed today. It will reopen Tuesday after the holiday weekend.

Roads are nasty, slick and full of snow. Check the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News for road conditions.

Rebecca and Bryan Schwartz emailed Lake Tahoe News at 4am saying, “Stuck at Twin Bridges since 10:30pm. Still here at almost 4am. Twin Bridges is now a three-lane highway with all three lanes going one-way into Tahoe with no movement.”

The next email said, “Got home at 5:30. We were welcomed by a 5-foot berm in front of our house and a one lane, barely plowed North Upper Truckee Road.”

The weather map shows a possibility of white stuff through Tuesday. However, by Saturday night the likelihood diminishes to a 30 percent chance.