Remote Surveillance Trailer in Washoe Valley, NV

Carson City schools closed again Wednesday

Carson City schools will remain closed for a second day Wednesday due to continuous, heavy snow accumulation throughout Tuesday and winter weather-related driving conditions.

No student activities, after-school programs or practices will occur, the district said in a statement. No school services such as transportation, nutrition or student health will be provided.

Washoe County School District has not said whether it will close school again Wednesday. It announced Tuesday's closure at 5 a.m. Tuesday.

I-80 closed in Sierra; chains required through reno

5:45 p.m. update:

Interstate 80 remains closed in both directions from Colfax to the Nevada state line because of heavy snow in the Sierra, according to Caltrans. No reopening time has been announced.

Chain controls are in effect on I-80 across the Reno-Sparks area and east toward Mustang. Chains are required on all vehicles except four-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels.

Mount Rose Highway (State Route 431) is closed across upper elevations for avalanche control work. Chain controls are also in place on I-580 in Washoe Valley and on State Route 341 (Geiger Grade).

In Carson City, U.S. 50 westbound is closed near South Carson Street in the Stewart area. All lanes are blocked.

Reno airport continues to see more cancellations from storm

Update, 2:15 p.m.: Reno-Tahoe International Airport is seeing more flight cancellations from the ongoing winter storm.

The number of cancelled flights at the Reno airport has grown from two cancellations early in the day to seven in the afternoon.

Here is a list of cancelled flights from the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority:

I-80 remains closed; chain controls across region

2 p.m. update:

Interstate 80 remains closed from Colfax to the Nevada state line because of heavy snow, according to Caltrans.

No reopening time has been announced.

Mount Rose Highway (State Route 431) is also closed across upper elevations between Incline Village and the summit. Lower sections remain under chain controls.

U.S. 50 remains open in Nevada but is under chain controls from the California border through Lake Tahoe, Carson City and east through Dayton to U.S. 95-ALT.

WCSD school closures

It's a snow day on Tuesday, Feb. 17 for the Washoe County School District. The district announced around 5 a.m. all schools would be closed due to hazardous weather and road conditions.

Road restrictions aren't just in the Sierra. As of 7:11 a.m., chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels throughout the city of Reno; west to Gold Run in California, and east to Mustang.

Tuesday closures in northwestern Nevada also include:

The National Weather Service in Reno said light snow would continue Tuesday with increasing intensity after 10 a.m. Heavy snow is expected Tuesday afternoon with accumulations at all valley floors by the evening commute.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport seeing flight delays and cancellations

Reno-Tahoe International Airport is seeing some delayed flights and at least one cancellation today as the region continues to grapple with a winter storm.

A couple of flights have been cancelled as of 10 a.m., Feb. 17, so far:

Some flights for Alaska, Delta, Southwest and United are also seeing delays between an hour and up to eight hours for one Los Angeles flight.

Here is a list of delayed departures at the Reno airport so far. Of these, four are due to weather, according to the Reno airport:

Arrivals are also seeing delays at the Reno airport. Here is a list of delayed arrivals so far:

“Even though winter weather has brought snow to the region, (Reno-Tahoe International Airport) remains operational and our snow removal crews are actively working to keep the airfield clear and safe,” a spokesperson for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority said.

“Weather conditions may still lead to flight delays or cancellations.”

Food Bank of Northern Nevada cancels, reschedules distributions

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada canceled all mobile harvest distributions scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 17 due to the winter storm, including the distributions for Sparks’s Church of Latter Day Saints, Virginia City and Hungry Valley, according to the food bank's Facebook.

The Senior Nutrition and Wellness Program distributions and home deliveries were also rescheduled this week to Monday, Feb. 23, according to the website, including for the Washoe Senior Center, the Sun Valley Community Center, and the Willie J. Wynn Senior Apartments.

The produce on wheels program’s Hawthorne distribution is rescheduled to Thursday, Feb. 26

Road conditions over Donner Pass and in the Sierra

Before traveling over Sierra passes, check the latest weather conditions at nvroads.com and roads.dot.ca.gov.

Interstate 80: As of 7:16 a.m., I-80 is closed at the California state line to Colfax. As of 7:31 a.m., chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels throughout the city of Reno; west to Gold Run in California, and east to Mustang.

U.S. 50: As of noon, chains or snow tires are required on U.S. 50 in Carson City between I580 and Dayton. As of 11:50 a.m., U.S. 50 is closed between Placerville and Meyers in California.

Interstate 580: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels between State Route 431 (Mount Rose Highway) to Eastlake Boulevard in Washoe Valley.

State Route 431 (Mount Rose Highway): Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels between South Virginia Street and State Route 28.

State Route 341 (Geiger Grade Road): Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels between South Virginia Street and 5 Mile Flat.

State Route 88: Chains are required on all vehicles except 4-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels between Woodfords and Dew Drop Bypass in California.

U.S. 95: A wind alert has been issued for vehicles over 9 feet tall between Hawthorne and U.S. 95-ALT south of Schurz.

Winter storm outlook for Reno-Tahoe area

Tuesday: Snow, with accumulations of 2 to 6 inches in the valleys, 3 to 7 inches above 5,000 feet, 12 to 20 inches around Lake Tahoe and 14 to 22 inches above 7,000 feet. Highs in the upper 30s to low 40s in the valleys and in the mid-20s to mid-30s around Lake Tahoe. Southwest winds 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and ridge gusts up to 80 mph.

Tuesday night: Heavy snow, then partly cloudy with a diminishing chance of snow after midnight. Snow accumulation of 1 to 5 inches in the valleys, 6 to 12 inches around Lake Tahoe and 9 to 15 inches above 7,000 feet. Lows in the 10s in the valleys and in the mid-0's to mid-10s at higher elevations.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of up to 1 inch of snow in the valleys and 1 to 4 inches around Lake Tahoe. Highs in the mid-30s in the valleys and in the 20s at higher elevations.

Wednesday night: Snow likely in the Sierra, with a chance of snow in the valleys. Lows in the low 10s to low 20s in the valleys and in the upper 0s to upper 10s at higher elevations. Winds 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph and ridge gusts up to 60 mph.

Thursday: Snow likely. Highs in the mid-30s in the valleys and in the mid-20s at higher elevations. Winds 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph and ridge gusts up to 70 mph.

Sierra traffic cameras and storm watch resources

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Washoe County commissioners voted 3-2 on Tuesday evening to approve the controversial Sierra Reflections project, a massive subdivision proposed for the South Valleys.

The vote came after over 3 hours of public comment from Washoe Valley and Pleasant Valley residents, who were almost universally opposed to the proposal.

Prior to the vote, tensions ran high inside the commission chamber, with chair Clara Andriola briefly ordering a short recess and asking members of the public to leave the chamber.

Commissioners Andriola, Mariluz Garcia and Alexis Hill voted yes, while commissioners Jeanne Herman and Mike Clark voted no. The successful vote to approve followed an unsuccessful motion to reject Sierra Reflections from commissioner Clark.

Commissioner Garcia ultimately made the motion to overturn the planning commission's rejection of the project in January. Garcia's stated rationale for her support was the developer's promise of a $1 million up-front payment to help construct a new consolidated fire station in north Washoe Valley. Clark bristled, referring to the payment as a 'Million-dollar sellout' and argued that developers should've offered to pay much more or pay for the fire station outright.

Developer World Properties, Inc. is seeking to transform a quiet, largely undeveloped 760-acre parcel nestled between Pleasant and Washoe valleys into one of the largest residential subdivisions approved in unincorporated Washoe County in the past 20 years.

The site sits north of Eastlake Boulevard and Old Highway 395 and south of Interstate 580 near the Galena Creek Bridge.

The project would include 940 single-family home lots, along with 10 miles of trails, three parks and multiple traffic roundabouts. Lot sizes would range from less than a tenth of an acre to about an acre and a half.

Representatives for the developer told commissioners Tuesday afternoon that the project would simply develop the parcels in accordance with the underlying zoning. But residents argued it would be far too dense for a historically rural area and too far from existing urban services.

"There's plenty of property in Reno that they could build this. I'm really sorry that they thought they should be able to build it where we are so rural and where everyone that lives out there bought because it was rural," said Washoe Valley resident Cheryl Pricco.

I came from Los Angeles originally. I don't need another LA. I can go back to my home in California if that's the case.

During the meeting, neighbors raised numerous concerns with the project, including traffic, density, character of the existing neighborhood, threats to endangered species and soil contamination.

The project site sits within the Carson River mercury superfund site — developers vowed to remediate the mercury, in part by capping the floodplain area with 8 feet of uncontaminated dirt.

Representatives for World Properties, Inc. said they expect full buildout of the subdivision within 10 years and the first home to be built in roughly 2 and a half years.

PLEASANT VALLEY, Nev. — Washoe County leaders are expected to decide next week whether a massive new housing subdivision should move forward in a historically rural stretch of the South Valleys.

The proposal, known Sierra Reflections, would transform a quiet, largely undeveloped 760-acre parcel nestled between Pleasant and Washoe valleys into one of the largest residential subdivisions approved in unincorporated Washoe County in the past 20 years.

Residents fear 940-home project could transform rural South Valleys of Washoe County

The site sits north of Eastlake Boulevard and Old Highway 395 and south of Interstate 580 near the Galena Creek Bridge.

As currently proposed by developer World Properties Inc., the project would include 940 single-family home lots, along with 10 miles of trails, three parks and multiple traffic roundabouts. Lot sizes would range from less than a tenth of an acre to about an acre and a half.

In total, the development plan allows for more than 1,000 units. Roughly 60% of the site is designated as open space, though much of that land is too steep to build on. Under the proposal, developers can transfer density from those undevelopable slopes to other portions of the property.

Cliff Low, longtime Washoe Valley resident, is one of many opposed to the project. Dozens spoke out against it when it was heard by the Washoe County planning commission in January.

It would bring high density development deep into the South Valleys, where there's nothing like it. It would transform the South Valley in a negative way.

"We think that the zoning provides for up to three units per acre, but the developer is looking to use the system to put as many as 12 units on an acre, which is very high density," Low told News 4-Fox 11.

Washoe Valley resident Bill Naylor also raised concerns about how the density transfer would work.

"You can move homes from one end of the subdivision down to an area where they're concentrating the houses and leave the other area as open space. The open space part of it sounds really nice, but in fact, the only thing that really happens is you get an urban style subdivision out of it," Naylor said.

They are really violating all of those guidelines to try to get 940 homes on an area that won't support it.

Opponents argue the plan would result in much higher density than current zoning allows in certain areas. In addition to density, neighbors have voiced concerns about increased traffic, water usage and strain on existing infrastructure.

The Washoe County Planning Commission unanimously rejected the project in January. Now, opponents are urging county commissioners to uphold that decision when they take up the matter next week.

World Properties Inc. did not respond to phone calls or an email seeking comment in time for this report.

The Washoe County commission is expected to hear the matter sometime after 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Click here to learn more and submit your public comments.