Reno gets far less snow than people expect and the passes above it get far more. The airport at 4,415 ft averages roughly 22 inches a season, most of it between December and February, with January the heaviest at about 6 inches. West-side and south-side neighbourhoods at 5,000 to 5,500 ft take two to three times that from the same storm.
Donner Summit at 7,239 ft and Mt Rose at 8,887 ft are in a different regime again. A storm that leaves Virginia Street wet can shut both, which is why the valley forecast is no guide to whether you can leave town.
- Roadwork eastbound between Magra (Railroad) (Exit 140) and Gold Run Rd (Exit 143), traffic getting through — tree work; until 5:59 a.m.
- Roadwork westbound between Rock Spring Rd and King Rd (Exit 112), 1 mile east of Penryn, traffic getting through — fiber optic installation; until 5:01 a.m.
Current Road Conditions and Travel
When winter weather impacts travel, check the road conditions hub for the latest closures and chain requirements. Major routes like I-80 road conditions and US-50 road conditions frequently experience delays due to snow removal operations and accidents.
If traveling into the higher elevations, monitor SR-431 Mt Rose road conditions and SR-267 road conditions, as these mountain passes are often the first to require traction devices.
Major mountain passes serving Reno and Lake Tahoe.
If you are driving
Fill the tank before the storm, not during it. Keep the kit inside the cabin rather than the boot — a car in a closure queue on I-80 can sit for hours, and you will not want to get out at 7,000 ft to reach it:
- Blankets
- Flashlights
- Food and water
- Jumper cables
- Traction devices
If you are a resident, keep devices charged and maintain extra batteries for radios and flashlights. Telecom and internet service may become unstable during severe storms; an AM radio can provide a reliable source of information. If you are medically vulnerable, consider relocating to a friend or family member's home in a non-impacted community before the weather system arrives.
Plowing, and what it will and will not do
Crews clear in priority order, and the first priority is keeping arterials open for emergency vehicles. Residential streets come last and in a big storm may wait days.
Do not call to request plowing for a scheduled appointment; that is not what the queue is for. In a medical emergency during a storm, call 911 — plow crews give rescue units top-priority assistance and will cut a route to them.
Weather Monitoring
The National Weather Service (NWS) utilizes the SKYWARN program to gather critical weather information. Trained volunteers provide reports on severe weather, including thunderstorms and flash floods, which helps the NWS issue more timely warnings. While the region is primarily concerned with snow, severe weather can occur year-round.
The thaw
The valley's problem is often not the snow but what follows. Reno's 22 inches a season mostly melt within days, and a warm atmospheric river onto lying snow puts water into the Truckee River and the drainages off the Sierra front fast.
For the lake-shore routes, SR-28 and SR-89 are the ones to check; SR-89 past Emerald Bay closes first of all of them and reopens last.