The sun is shining but the power is still out Sunday for thousands of NV Energy customers
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 01/01/2023 - 7:18am
UPDATE 10AM: While the sun is out and the snow is beginning to melt on this New Year's morning, power outages continue to plague the Carson City area and surrounding counties.
As of 9:30 a.m., 35,505 NV Energy customers are without power. To break it down, 7,403 NV Energy customers are without power in Carson City, 6,270 in Douglas County, 2,691 in Lyon County, 665 in Storey County and 18,204 in Washoe County.
NV Energy is estimating restoration times anywhere from early afternoon to 5 p.m. Falling trees and limbs into power lines continue to be problematic, sending fire departments to neighborhoods from around Carson City and surrounding counties to determine if the lines are NV Energy or a non-electrical utility such as cable.
Meanwhile, the Winter Storm Warning issued late Saturday morning has expired, and sunshine has become abundant, causing some of the heavy wet snow to melt. I-580, Highway 50 East and Highway 395 are beginning to clear. Driving the Sierra is a different story. Motorists can expect chain controls and slow going.
A Flood Advisory remains in effect for the Carson River near Carson City. The river is expected to rise to a crest of 8.8 feet Sunday morning. More specifically "Action Stage" is 8.0 feet and "Flood Stage" is 10.0 feet. See http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood for more information.
Sunshine will be short-lived as another series of wet atmospheric river storms are expected through the week, with the biggest of the storms arriving Wednesday and continuing through Friday. Check back for updates.
The following is from Douglas County regarding snow removal and other post-storm issues:
Douglas County is responding to impacts from the snowfall and plowing remains a top priority. Douglas County would like to remind residents that the roads may still not be safe for travel and is advising residents to remain cautious and to drive slow if travel is necessary at this time.
Plowing remains a high priority for our Public Works Road Department and the County has made arrangements with private contractors to supply equipment and manpower to assist our crews with plowing. We are asking for our residents to be patient as the snow impacts are widespread throughout Douglas County and cleanup will take longer than usual. Requests for regional assistance have also been made, however, the snow impacts are also widespread throughout the state.
NDOT is dedicated to keeping highways safe for drivers by first prioritizing snow removal on major thoroughfares such as interstates. Local city and county governments are responsible for snow removal on city streets and county roads. Like many public and private employers, NDOT is experiencing staffing shortages for highway maintenance workers. While NDOT is working to provide the same level of snow removal as in previous years, motorists should also anticipate slower travel times and the potential of reduced highway snow removal. The department is also hiring for temporary winter highway maintenance workers to help keep winter highways clear.
NV Energy is continuing to work to safely restore your power. There are several areas affected by the power outage. At this time, the estimated time of restoration is approximately for the afternoon on Jan 1, 2023. You can also get updates via your mobile device at nvenergy.com/outage. If you have any questions or need assistance in regard to your power, please contact NV Energy at 800-962-0399 or 775-834-4444.
Douglas County may be activating a warming shelter at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center, 1329 Waterloo Ln, Gardnerville, NV 89410 later in the day and more information will be released once the roads are safe to travel.
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Heavy wet snow continued New Year's morning in Carson City and surrounding counties, clogging roadways and snapping trees into power lines, causing outages for nearly 70,000 NV Energy customers across Northern Nevada.
NV Energy reports 69,738 customers without power as of 6 a.m. Sunday morning. The numbers of outages continues to fluctuated due to the nature of the storm and the amount of snow load on trees, and those trees and limbs falling into power lines.
As of around 6 a.m. 8,860 NV Energy customers in Carson City were without power, 5,706 in Douglas County, 4,270 in Lyon County and 555 in Storey County.
No time estimates have been given as NV Energy crews are going from one downed line or blown transformer to the next, spanning Washoe County, Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties.
Dangerous driving conditions continue, with a mixture of ice and snow on roads. Motorists are advised to stay off the roadways.
Check back for updates.
