Flooding remains an issue throughout many parts of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Updated 10:07pm:

Power is off for thousands of people in the Lake Tahoe Basin and Carson Valley areas.

“Road closures from flooding are hampering our crews’ efforts to get to the remaining outages in the Carson/Genoa/Gardnerville area,” NV Energy says on its website.

In the Kingsbury Grade area of Stateline there are four outages affecting 2,356 customers. The weather has caused poles and wires to come down. Crews are hoping power is restored by midnight.

There are 141 Liberty Utilities customers without power in the El Dorado County portion of the basin, while 93 Placer County customers are in the dark.

Travelers trying to reach Lake Tahoe are creating problems for law enforcement because they are blindly following what their GPS says.

“This has led to numerous parties getting stuck on roads that are closed during the winter, and in the end, tie up valuable resources rescuing them from deep snow or impassable roads,” El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said in a statement. “In the winter, the only safe alternate route when Highway 50 is closed is to use Highway 88 to the south, or Interstate 80 to the North.  If you are using any other road that you are not absolutely familiar with and you see snow on the roadway, or the road turns to dirt; stop, turn around, and go back to main roadway.”

Updated 8pm:

A mudslide has closed Highway 50 between Meyers and Placerville. It is not expected to open until Saturday.

The Carson Spur is now open.

The long route to Tahoe on Friday night is via Highway 20 to Interstate 80. Travelers tell Lake Tahoe News this route is extremely congested.

There was a second avalanche Friday afternoon in the Crystal Bay subdivision near east Tuscarora Road.

First responders and public safety personnel are monitoring and assessing the situation.

Residents in the Crystal Bay area should exercise caution if accessing the slopes above their homes. 

South Lake Tahoe crews on Feb. 10 unclog drains in the city. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Updated 4:23pm:

Because of avalanche activity this morning in the Crystal Bay subdivision near east Tuscarora Road, residents are being asked to avoid outdoor activity and to shelter in place until further notice. 

Incline Village residents woke up to more than 2 feet of snow Friday morning.

Sierra Avalanche Center said the danger level is considerable.

Interstate 80 is closed at Colfax because of a significant mudslide. Traffic is being diverted to Highway 20, though trucks are not allowed there.

“The soil is so saturated it can’t take anymore water. Something has to give,” Caltrans spokesman Steve Nelson told Lake Tahoe News.

Trees as tall as 100 feet came down in the slide.

Some have questioned whether all of Caltrans’ thinning of trees last year made the slopes unstable. Nelson said that wasn’t the case with this slide.

Traffic has been moving intermittently between Meyers and Placerville because of slides.

On Feb. 10 the Douglas County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency due to a flood and wind event that took place over the last couple of days. 

It’s hard to find the docks and the water with the snow and slush in the Tahoe Keys. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

A flood warning for the greater Lake Tahoe area remains in effect until 9am Friday, with the winter storm warning going through Saturday at 1am.

The Upper Truckee River crested to 12.41 feet at about 4:40am Feb. 10.

“We are firmly in second for all time crest. Only the 1997 flood was higher,” Jim Marino, South Lake Tahoe assistant public works director, told Lake Tahoe News. In 1997 the river reached about 13.41 feet. “It will take days for the water to recede.”

Sander plows and loaders are on the streets to deal with flooding issues. No new flooding in South Lake Tahoe has been reported overnight, with the same areas reported on Thursday being an issue.

Pot holes will be addressed as soon as possible, Marino said.

While snow is generally better than rain in the Sierra, the temps are still on the high side so much of the snow is melting as it hits the ground. This is making roads slushy and means drains are clogging. This in turn leads to more flooding. 

In El Dorado County: 

• Arapahoe Street is closed between San Diego Street and Country Club Drive due to a sink hole caused by a failed culvert.
• Elks Club Drive is closed between Highway 50 and Waverly Drive. A culvert has failed.
• Most of Waverly Drive is closed due to the condition of the road.

Snow levels are expected to drop this afternoon and evening. According to the National Weather Service in Reno, there could be 2 to 5 inches of snow by Friday night at lake level.

Truckee Tahoe Unified and Carson City schools are closed for Feb. 10. All Washoe County are on a two-hour delay Friday. Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village is starting classes at 1oam.

A flood warning continues for the Carson River near Carson City, from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon. The highest risk of flooding is in urban areas and along creeks and streams leading out of the Carson Range. The river is expected to hit the major flood stage late tonight or early Saturday.

Water is moving onto Highway 395 with the Cradlebaugh bridge expected to close. An alternate route to northbound Highway 395 is Fairview to Foothill to Jacks Valley Road.

Voluntary evacuations of the Aspen Mobile Home Park and Kingslane Mobile Home Park occurred late Thursday evening and Friday morning. The Community and Senior Center has been set up as a shelter and is taking evacuees and their pets.

Flooding and downed power lines have Mottsville, Centerville, Muller and Genoa Lanes in Gardnerville closed.

There is no estimated time when Highway 89 around Emerald Bay or Highway 50 near Logan Creek will open to allow traffic between the South Shore and Carson City via Spooner Summit.

Other highways leading into and out of the Tahoe basin are open, some with restrictions. Current highway information may be found by clicking on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

This is a warning from the Weather Service: “Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water. The next highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near flood waters.”

New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baque and Caesar Andrews with UNR’s journalism department on Feb. 8 in Reno. Photo/David Calvert

By Linda Fine Conaboy

RENO – To some, the latest chapters in U.S. political history read like a catchy novel; to others, current changes are merely pulp fiction.

These are attention-grabbing times no matter how one views the unfolding daily drama floating over the political landscape.

In a conversation on Feb. 8 sponsored by the University of Nevada Don Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR and later that evening at the Nevada Museum of Art, New York Times executive editor, Dean Baquet (pronounced like valet), the current and the first black editor of the New York Times and previously, the Los Angeles Times, discussed the need to keep his paper nimble, open-minded and forward thinking.

His UNR audience consisted mainly of students, who were all exceedingly interested in the election of the new U.S. president and who peppered Baquet with hard-hitting questions about current issues such as fake news, accountability, integrity and presidential tweets.

Regarding his integrity as executive editor of a major newspaper, Baquet said he always tries to make sure associates don’t know where he stands on issues. “It drives some people crazy. Almost all of my friends are journalists, and I don’t know their political views either. I at least vote, but some other editors don’t,” he said, explaining their need for total transparency.

He said he avoids relationships with public officials and he didn’t meet President Barack Obama until near the end of his presidency.

He cautioned that in the newspaper business it’s imperative to hold people accountable, but to also remain objective. “Don’t take for granted what politicians say, be skeptical.”

He said President Trump has told many falsehoods, the first coming to his mind is the Obama birther issue. “It’s an effective cover to say things that are blatantly false.”

Baquet added that the new president’s tweets are particularly revealing. “He is the president of the United States. When he tweets, it’s an unfiltered view of the most powerful person in the U.S. It’s the closest view inside the mind of the president that we’ll ever get.”

Warming to his subject, he declared, “We must cover Trump. The things he does have huge consequences; what he does affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Trump eats away at the trust in the media.”

Fake news is really nothing new, Baquet said, declaring there has always been fake news and pointing to the blatant and salacious headlines the National Enquirer spouts regularly as a case in point. However, he said, some fake news is designed to lessen the trust the public has in journalism.

“Journalism is not flawless, but what the First Amendment is meant to protect is under attack,” Baquet said. “Now though, fake news is on steroids. It’s insidious and puts more pressure on us to be honest and honorable.”

Facebook and other sites, he said, need to work harder to police it.

Because the fake news issue is on the minds of many, Baquet said his reporters are becoming exceedingly motivated.

“There’s an extraordinary clarity about what needs to be done. I remind [reporters] what our jobs are and the fact that we’re the opposition party necessitates that we ask hard questions. It’s not the job of journalism to be liked,” Baquet said.

He added that when people call the NY Times on a mistake, he and his staff will always own up to those mistakes and attempt to make them right.

Unfortunately, according to Baquet, all media now is in financial turmoil, but the NY Times less than others. “Now, more than half of our revenue comes not from advertising, but from our readers, and readers make measurable demands.”

Baquet said after the presidential election, he received many angry emails blaming the Times because Trump won the election. However, shortly thereafter, his emails took a positive turn resulting in a sizable and unexpected increase in circulation.

“There used to be a powerful world of great newspapers. But now the whole system has broken down,” he said. Nevertheless, according to Baquet, liberal media elitism is curable starting with getting out into the world and listening to people’s views.

“Objectivity is real and it is important. People have a right to unbiased news,” Baquet said.

He said his outlook on journalism has changed over the years.

“I am very confident about the future of journalism. There’s been a tremendous increase in readership. I’m probably more a believer in asking hard questions of powerful people now,” Baquet said. “We’re in for years of rapid change, but there have been periods like this before. We need to train journalists as much as possible. Journalism schools have a larger role than they have ever had and now it’s important to cross-train them.”

He explained that to his way of thinking future journalists must be comfortable not only in the world of words, but also be within the realm of the visual aspects of journalism.

What makes a good reporter? A good reporter listens, is open minded, is a voracious reader, especially of good novels, and is open to learning new ways to tell a story. “Everything in journalism has happened before, except now, we know more about it and we know it instantly.”

As he prepared to wind down his conversation, Baquet returned to the newly elected president.

“The myth of the uneducated person who voted for Trump is just that—a myth. He won the Republican vote; he won the vote of those who make a lot of money; he won votes from people who think the system is screwed up,” Baquet said. “A Trump voter is probably more sophisticated than we think. The political elite don’t understand the upheaval, but Trump seized on it. There are people who voted for Trump who also voted for Obama.

“It is my job to understand all sides of the story and to do this every day. I feel like I’m in a novel; you get a glimpse of the world you’re never going to get anywhere else.”

Tahoe Keys Boulevard has several inches of water on it on Feb. 9. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

The Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe has reached flood stage, is expected to be higher than it was in January and could reach 1997 levels.

“The Upper Truckee River changed course. It took the easiest way through the snow,” Jim Marino, South Lake Tahoe assistant public works director, told Lake Tahoe News.

It has done so at multiple locations through Meyers and South Lake Tahoe.

It is beyond its banks near the mouth of Lake Tahoe. Flood stage is 10.5 feet. On Thursday morning it was at 11.63 feet.

Adding to the flow of the river is that the dam at Echo Lake is removed each winter. Water is pouring down from there, reaching the Upper Truckee River in the Christmas Valley area.

Meyers is contending with a slew of water issues, with the wet stuff reaching garages and homes.

In South Lake Tahoe water is flowing onto Venice Drive, which city officials closed off early this afternoon. Snow was moved into the parking lot of the commercial complex at Venice and Tahoe Keys Boulevard as a dam of sorts.

For the first time in at least 20 years the weir on Venice Drive has been opened, though not fully, to ease the buildup of water in that lagoon.

Tahoe Keys Boulevard has standing water near the entrance to the housing area. The neighboring state streets like Michael Drive, Dover Court, Colorado Street and Montezuma Avenue are all experiencing significant flooding.

“I just looked at the radar. I don’t see a break for another six or seven hours. It’s going to get heavier,” Marino said at 1:40pm Feb. 9.

The Upper Truckee River near Cove East on Feb. 9 is swollen beyond its banks. Photo/Kathryn Reed

There is a flood watch until 4am Feb. 10 and a winter storm watch until 1am Feb. 11. Snow levels are supposed to drop to between 7,500 and 8,000 Thursday afternoon, falling to lake level by Friday afternoon. And now there is thunder.

No mandatory evacuations have been declared in the city, though some people have voluntarily left their houses. Douglas County has set up a shelter at the Community and Senior Center (pets welcome), 1329 Waterloo Lane, Gardnerville.

Crews throughout the region are out in full force addressing issues as they arise.

The city is keeping an eye out on the mobile home park on Blackwood Avenue. Homes on Woodbine Road are another concern. Bill and Shirley streets behind the Knights Inn have been flooding since the 1940s, and continue to today.

What has crews scrambling is that water is showing up in places where it usually doesn’t. Part of this is because it is going through snow and making its own path, and part because there is no place left for it to go.

On Highway 50 at Bridal Veil Falls the eastbound No. 2 lane is blocked by a boulder the size of an SUV. Caltrans crews will need to blast it to move it.

Boulders and an unstable hillside on Highway 50 at Logan Creek on the South Shore is preventing through traffic to Carson City. Crews are still working in the area, putting in a gravel berm. But there is no word when it will reopen. Don’t expect it to as the rain keeps coming.

Kingsbury Grade is open, but there are delays. Traffic is periodically being held in both directions as crews clear the road of debris. Compounding the backup on the Carson Valley side is that Muller Street and Genoa Lane are closed.

For current highway conditions, click on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

The Emergency Operations Center in Carson Valley is now open. It is staffed with more than 24 mission critical positions, mostly supported by Douglas County staff, East Fork Fire Protection District, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office as well as volunteers, Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Authority, Carson Valley Conservation District personnel, the Douglas County CERT Team. The Douglas County flood hotline is 775.783.6404.

Officials are encouraging residents to be prepared for the possibility of road closures and power outages. This is true no matter where one lives in the Tahoe-Truckee area.

By Paul Deanno, KPIX-TV

It appears California has come out of the drought, with a fury.

Atmospheric rivers, more commonly known as Pineapple Express storms, fueled by Hawaiian tropical waters, have pounded the Bay Area, and the state, with rain.

But this is not new. Over 100 years ago California was in the same boat, literally. The rain started to fall just before Christmas, and it didn’t let up for over 40 days. The Central Valley became a lake.

It was 1862. Leland Stanford was sworn in as California’s 8th governor. But he wouldn’t start his term in Sacramento because California’s capital city, along with much of the state, was 10 feet under water.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

In the same week that much of Northern California, including the Lake Tahoe Basin, is contending with flooding, the State Water Resources Control Board said water conservation is necessary.

South Tahoe PUD had voiced its disgust with this regulation prior to the Feb. 8 decision via a letter to the water board. General Manager Richard Solbrig told his board the district will maintain the odd-even three-day week watering days that it has imposed for 10 years. The district was way ahead of the curve in recognizing conservation is important. It’s the more drastic regulations under the drought rules that STPUD has issues with.

“These regulations have helped Californians rise to the occasion and show what they can do with conservation, while providing flexibility based on differing local water supply conditions across the state,” state water board Chair Felicia Marcus said. “We are beyond happy that water conditions continue to improve this year, but the rainy season isn’t over yet and some areas of the state continue to suffer significant drought impacts. As glorious as the first half of the season has been, we know that weather can change quickly, and vary depending on where you are, so it is most prudent to wait a bit longer until close of the rainy season to take stock of the statewide situation and decide what to do next.”

By keeping the drought measures in place it means an additional 270 days of consumption reports, “stress tests,” and water-use cuts.

Flooded Tahoe meadows make drought restrictions seem ludicrous. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“This decision is blind to the plain fact seen on every mountain, river and reservoir in the north state. We are flush with water, and they know that, but this lays bare their ‘permanent drought’ plan that will let them limit and control water use forever to meet their environmentalist agenda,” state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-El Dorado, said in a statement. He represents the California side of the Tahoe basin. “There has been so much talk about sanctuary cities and sanctuary states lately, all relating to immigration. But now I’m convinced that California citizens need a sanctuary from unelected bureaucrats who won’t call off the drought when people are all but having to canoe to work because of the rain

Wednesday’s keep the drought rules decision was on the same day the state was trying to figure out the appropriate level of flow down the damaged spillway at Oroville Dam. What is being called a cavity opened on the spillway on Feb. 7 from all of the water that has been released. The spillway is necessary to maintain reservoir operations. With rain in the forecast through Friday and upcoming spring runoff, that spillway is needed.  

The dam is sound, and no imminent threat to the public exists, authorities said.

The statewide water savings numbers were also released Wednesday. In December, 20.6 percent less water was used compared to the base year of December 2013.

STPUD had its January numbers available last week, saying the district used 18 percent less water than January 2013.

Solbrig said since the peak water consumption year of 2007 STPUD has cut that figure by 33 percent.

By Kathryn Reed

Five years is a milestone most cancer patients celebrate. It doesn’t mean the disease won’t come back, but it is a positive indicator.

Chemo, radiation, surgery or some combination is usually the medical cure. Not so for Steve Kubby. He attributes reaching the five-year mark to cannabis cryogenic extract.

This month the 70-year-old South Lake Tahoe resident celebrates being cancer free for five years.

At 21 he was first diagnosed with cancer. At 28 he was told he had terminal malignant pheochromocytoma. According to the Mayo Clinic, pheochromocytoma  “is a rare, usually noncancerous tumor that develops in cells in the center of an adrenal gland.”

The rare disease is often fatal. He was give six months to two years to live, and told to get his affairs in order.

Steve Kubby and Nobia Monsaurt with the marijuana plants they use for medicine. Photo/Lisa Gresham-Gordon

“I went to the Mayo Clinic. They threw everything they had at it. Nothing worked,” Kubby told Lake Tahoe News. He defied doctors’ predictions, but the cancer was always there.

It was five years ago that he started using the cannabinoid.

Raphael Mechoulam, who discovered tetrahydrocannabinol is the most active ingredient in cannabis, had figured out cannabinoids are lost whenever cannabis is dried. That is what led Kubby to the cryogenic or freezing process. Kubby developed the process by using a plant from South America he had been breeding.

It’s non-psycho active, which means using it won’t make the person high. Kubby ingests the medicine, as opposed to smoking it.

“It can trigger adult stem cells. No one is using this method that we know of,” Nobia Monsaurt said. Monsausrt is an integral part of Kubby’s continued research into medical marijuana. They plan to be married this April.

They have a research team helping them refine the product, which one day the couple would like to bring to market.

Kubby had gone off the drug for a while, believing he was cured of cancer and not in need of it anymore.

In April 2016, he suffered a minor stroke. Kubby returned to using his special medicinal marijuana formula. He said it alleviated the lingering stroke issues, brought down his blood pressure and even decreased his prostate numbers.

The plan going forward — stay on the medicine indefinitely and continue to study the benefits with the hope one day the strain is available commercially.

Highway 50 in Douglas County at the lake is closed. Photo/LTN

Updated 7:10pm

By Kathryn Reed

Access to Carson City from the South Shore via Spooner Summit is off-limits for an indeterminate amount of time because boulders keep falling onto Highway 50.

Wednesday marked the third consecutive day boulders as large as a vehicle have come loose from the hillside.

Nevada Department of Transportation officials are worried about yet another boulder that looks like it could shake loose at any moment. It is more round and therefore could roll easier.

“We don’t want it to roll onto traffic or the houses below,” Meg Ragonese with NDOT told Lake Tahoe News.

Crews will not be able to stabilize the hillside until it dries out a bit. Rain is in the forecast through Friday. The other option to try is to dislodge the rock before Mother Nature does.

A concrete barrier has been placed in the Logan Creek Drive area to help prevent more rocks from reaching the road.

With safety being NDOT’s priority, though, no vehicles are getting from the South Shore to Carson City for the foreseeable future.

Tahoe storm issues:
• Highway 50 between Meyers and Placerville has issues with mudslides; traffic controls are in place
• In South Lake Tahoe: Bill Avenue, Shirley Avenue and Bijou Creek are currently closed due to flooding. Lake Tahoe Boulevard between Glorene and Viking Way have been reduced to one travel lane due to flooding.
• Snow has taken out part of the roof at the California Highway Patrol office in Meyers. The parking lot looks more like a pond.
• Caltrans says Highway 89 around Emerald Bay will remain closed through these storms because of instability in the slide are.
• An avalanche on Feb. 7 near Stanford Sierra Camp at Fallen Leaf Lake took out the power for a few hours, but did not damage any buildings.
•  Lake Tahoe Boulevard at Sawmill Road is closed.                 • For current highway information, click on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

A flood watch is in effect for the Lake Tahoe Basin from 10am Feb. 9 to 4am Feb. 10.

From the National Weather Service in Reno, “Occasional light rain will continue today with streams running high. Another period of heavy rain is expected Thursday afternoon and Thursday night with even higher flows and more flooding possible. Areas where snow has clogged drainage paths may remain flooded for longer periods of time. Rock and mudslides may also impact travel.”

Douglas County is urging residents to prepare for flooding and high winds. Residents can expect intermittent road closures due to flooding. Douglas County has sandbags available at nine locations, including Zephyr Cove Park.

Truckee residents near the southwest corner of the Donner Lake area along the streets of Washoe Circle, Conifer Drive, and parts of South Shore Drive in the known avalanche areas are advised the potential avalanche danger in these areas is currently high and this danger is likely to persist for several days.

Widespread flooding in Truckee is not expected to occur with this storm, however minor flooding along drainage ditches and small streams is possible. 

Homewood Mountain Resort issued this statement, “Due to inclement weather we will be suspending operations for the 8th.” Limited trails are open at Tahoe Donner Cross Country. Check with the ski resort before going because the weather is likely to impact operations at all of them.

There is one-way traffic control on Highway 50 at the Silverfork Cafe area in El Dorado County due to drain clearing work. Caltrans has not estimate when it will be cleared.

Current highway conditions are available by clicking on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

The sun should come out again on Saturday.

By Debra J. Saunders, Las Vegas Review-Journal

WASHINGTON — How big is the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals? The San-Francisco-based circuit is so big that it represents nine states, including Nevada, 20 percent of the U.S. population and 40 percent of the nation’s land mass. It’s so big that Congress has looked at bills to split the circuit since 1941, and it’s so big that none of those measures have succeeded.

This year, however, Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain, both R-Ariz., see the possibility of success. They’ve introduced legislation to create a new 12th Circuit by peeling away six states — Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona and Alaska.

The slimmed-down 9th Circuit would continue to hear appeals from California, Oregon and Hawaii, as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Read the whole story

By Sharon Bernstein, Reuters

California leaders pushed back on Monday against President Trump’s claim that the state is “out of control,” pointing to its balanced budget and high jobs numbers in the latest dustup between the populist Republican and the progressive state.

The state’s top Democrats called Trump cruel and his proposals unconstitutional after the businessman-turned-politician threatened to withhold federal funding from the most populous U.S. state if lawmakers passed a so-called sanctuary bill aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants.

“President Trump’s threat to weaponize federal funding is not only unconstitutional but emblematic of the cruelty he seeks to impose on our most vulnerable communities,” state Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said in a statement on Monday.

Read the whole story

Water is across all lanes of Pomo Street in the Meyers area on Feb. 7. Photo/CHP

Updated 4:18pm:

By Lake Tahoe News

Continued rain on snow is bringing the threat of flooding to areas in the Tahoe-Truckee region.

For Tuesday there are flood, high wind and avalanche warnings in effect. A flood watch is in effect until 4am Feb. 8 for South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Stateline, Incline Village, Bridgeport and Mammoth Lakes.

“A moderate to strong atmospheric river will bring heavy rain with high snow levels today. This heavy rain and snow melt will contribute to increasing flows on rivers and streams with an enhanced flooding potential through late tonight,” the National Weather Service in Reno warns.

The wind warning is in effect through 10pm Feb. 7 for the Tahoe basin, with south to southwest winds at 20-35 mph, gusts up to 50 mph, and ridge gusts hitting 130 mph.

Storms are expected to continue through the week before a break in storms this weekend, according to meteorologists. 

A backyard in the state street are of South Lake Tahoe is flooded Feb. 7 after a sump pump distributed water from under a house to this area. Photo/LTN

As of 9am Feb. 7 here are the 24-hour rain and snow totals provided from the National Weather Service in Reno:

·      South Lake Tahoe – 2.03 inches

·      Truckee airport – 1.81

·      Ward Creek (Tahoe City) – 4.9

·      Heavenly – 12

·      Mount Rose – 20

·      Homewood – 19.

Roads in the state streets area, Julie Lane, Tahoe Sierra and other parts of South Lake Tahoe have standing water of several inches as do other roads around the basin.

“We are cutting and moving berms to allow runoff as we can. The ground is so saturated though,” Jim Marino, South Lake Tahoe public works director, told Lake Tahoe News.

Pomo Street in the Meyers area is flooded.

Two large vehicle-sized boulders fell onto Highway 50 on Tuesday in the Logan Creek area. These are in addition to the event on Monday. No injuries were reported and no vehicles damaged.

Both directions of traffic are open, but lanes are reduced to a single lane in each direction.

“The heavy precipitation that the region continues to see brings with it an increased chance of rockslides, mudslides and avalanches. We remind motorists to drive safely and always watch the road ahead,” Meg Ragonese with the Nevada Department of Transportation told Lake Tahoe News.

El Dorado County has closed both directions of Mt. Aukum Road indefinitely due to multiple sinkholes. The road is closed at the north end at the North Fork of the Cosumnes River Bridge and at the south end at Happy Valley Road, just north of Grizzly Flat Road. 

Highway 50 on Tuesday morning had one-way traffic control from two miles east of Ice House Road to approximately five miles east of Ice House Road because of a mudslide.

Snow is falling at higher elevations, requiring chain controls in some locations. Mount Rose Highway has been closed for hours because of multiple spinouts.

For updated state highway conditions, click on the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

Nevada Highway Patrol reported Tuesday morning that flooding closed the Carson Street southbound ramp on Highway 50.

Douglas County on Feb. 6 issued a flood warning.

Sand bags are available at Zephyr Cove Park. They are also available at all North Tahoe Fire Protection District stations, Lake Valley fire station in Meyers, and on Rufus Allen Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

Equipment failure has 273 NV Energy customers in the Incline Village area without power.