high winds

In the aftermath of the Little Valley Fire that destroyed 23 homes and 17 outbuildings, Insurance Commissioner Barbara Richardson urges affected homeowners to be vigilant of fraudsters trying to take advantage during this devastating time. Any consumers affected are encouraged to contact the Division of Insurance if they have questions about insurance or need assistance with their insurance claims.

UPDATE 7:14PM: The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) is now reporting the Little Valley to be 55 percent contained, having burned 3,400 acres and destroyed 22 homes and 17 outbuildings since early Friday morning.
More than 660 firefighting personnel remain on scene, the SFIDC reports.
More rain is forecast Sunday night into Monday morning, which should further help firefighting efforts to achieve full containment of the Little Valley Fire.
***
UPDATE 3:52PM: From South Lake Tahoe, Highway 89 continues to be closed from just beyond the Spring Creek Tract to the Vikingsholm parking lot gate (north side of Emerald Bay) because of the Emerald Fire, which is still 90 percent contained.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, evacuations have been lifted for Cathedral Road, Springs Creek Tract, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord and Mount Tallac Road.
Cascade Lake and Cascade Properties are currently open to residents only.
In Washoe Valley, Franktown Road continues to be closed below the 6190 street address, because of the Little Valley Fire, which remains at 20 percent contained.
Although Old U.S. Highway 395A has been opened, Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) is asking the public to stay out of the area due to fire traffic, localized flooding from heavy rains and unstable ground from the burn areas.
Interstate 580 is open in both directions to traffic.
Public safety officials said at a 1 p.m. briefing that a re-entry plan has been established, but it will require coordination with fire management personnel, law enforcement, and utility companies before the area can be re-populated safely.
The re-entry plan called for some residents to be allowed back in Monday or Tuesday to survey their properities only. Officials are hopeful re-entry can begin Wednesday.
WCSO will contact displaced residents directly in order to visit their homes.
Fuji Park in Carson City remain open for evacuated residents with large livestock.

Amidst a string of brush fires that started up in the region over the past 24 hours and spread rapidly with the help of high winds, storm clouds did bring with them some moisture, which has provided some assistance to firefighters and left affected communities with an enduring sign of hope.

High winds whipping through Carson City Friday morning have snapped trees and brought down some power lines throughout the area. A High Wind Warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. today. Another strong wind event is anticipated Saturday ahead of a storm system that is expected to bring valley rain and high mountain snow, providing some relief to fires burning in nearby Washoe Valley and at south shore Lake Tahoe.

UPDATE 12:21PM: NV Energy reports around 60 customers are without power this afternoon in the areas between East William and Corbett streets. In all there are 137 customers around Carson City without power, 1,198 in Douglas County, 1,827 in Washoe County and 1,121 customers in Lyon County.
***
UPDATE 9:35AM: NV Energy reports 38 customers in Carson City are without power. High winds are causing multiple extended outages throughout northern Nevada. Crews are out working to restore power to customers as quickly and safely as possible. NV Energy advises to consider any downed power lines as live and dangerous and stay a safe distance from them. Call 9-1-1 to report them.
***
Thousands are without power Friday morning from north Carson City through Washoe Valley into the Galena area due to wind and wildfire, according to NV Energy.

UPDATE 6:22PM: The Little Valley Fire has burned more than 2,000 acres and 22 homes. The fire is burning west of Franktown Road, moving north toward Bowers Mansion and Joy Lake Road. The Unified Command transitioned to the Sierra Front Type 3 Incident Management Team at 5 p.m.

UPDATE 8:38AM FRIDAY: The Clear Creek fire is 100 percent contained as of Friday morning. Fire crews are keeping an eye on hotspots and embers and were busy overnight with spot fires, said Carson City Fire Department Spokeswoman Stacey Belt.
***

UPDATE 9:10PM: Approximately 65 homes have been evacuated because of the fire in the Clear Creek area in southeast Carson City. The cause of the fire, reported at 5:38 p.m., is under investigation. Carson City Fire Department spokeswoman Stacey Belt said all the large flames have been knocked down, however there are embers and hot spots. There is zero percent containment as of 9 p.m. There will be crews monitoring the fire throughout the night. Evacuees will not be allowed into their homes before midnight, said Belt.
***
UPDATE 8:57PM: The Carson City Sheriff's Office has turned over its police operations to Washoe Tribe Police Department because the fire is on tribal land, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong. Carson City Fire Department and other outside agencies continue to monitor the fire, striking down blowing embers and attempting to get a perimeter. The Salvation Army is at Fuji Park providing assistance for the evacuees, said CCFD spokeswoman Stacey Belt.
***
UPDATE 8:32PM: Clear Creek Fire update From Stacey Belt, public information officer for Carson City Fire Department: As of 8 p.m. there have been no structures lost, no injuries reported, mutual aid is responding from throughout the region. Public Works is responding in the neighborhoods, looking for spot fires.
"We are fighting high winds. Embers are flying. We are expecting the winds to pick up in the next hour. So our goal is to get around this as soon as possible to save this community," she said.
***
UPDATE 7:58PM: Power is out in the Topsy Lane area, NV Energy work crews are working to restore power. Traffic lights are out in the area. Winds continue to move the fire. No containment at this time. There haven't been reports at this time of structures burned.

With the high winds we sometimes experience throughout Carson City, trash ends up blowing around and settling in places where it shouldn’t. The Wellness Mile located at the Carson Tahoe Medical complex has suffered the consequences of this very situation.

An adult male occupant of a Tiger Drive mobile home that was destroyed in a fire Thursday afternoon has died, according to the Carson City Fire Department. A dog also died on the scene of the blaze, which is under investigation.

High winds around Carson City and valley regions will be followed by rain and snow showers that could cause problems for Thursday’s morning commute, according to the National Weather Service.

High winds around Carson City and valley regions will be followed by rain and snow showers that could cause problems for Thursday’s morning commute, according to the National Weather Service.

Motorists on I-580 and other freeways approaching Washoe Valley will temporarily see roadside flashing signs prohibiting semi-trucks and other vehicles over nine feet tall between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 as the Nevada Department of Transportation tests a new, enhanced wind warning system through the Valley.

Strong wind gusts around Carson City kept public works, tree services, cable and NV Energy crews busy Friday afternoon.

High wind speeds around Carson City: CarsonWeather.com reports a gust of 51 mph at 1:45 p.m; Carson City Airport, 31 mph; Carson Valley DRI sensor north of Gardnerville, 61 mph; 89 mph at Washoe Valley's Nevada Department of Transportation site. On I-580 at Galena Bridge a gust was reported at 84 mph; and the highest gust thus far was 135 mph at Slide Mountain.

UPDATE: 4:40PM: Power lines reported down at King Street near Carson Middle School. Motorists should avoid the area.
***
UPDATE 2:50PM: Power lines are reportedly down at 5th and Saliman. Avoid the area.
***
UPDATE 1:52 PM: Carson City Fire Department and Public Works were called to the area of North Carson Street at Arrowhead where a tree has fallen and was blocking lanes of traffic and power lines on the road. Carson City Sheriff's Office deputies were called to assist and redirect traffic. All motorists should avoid the area.
***
High winds have whipped through Carson City this afternoon knocking down trees, snapping limbs, and dropping fences.

The tree is the first photo fell at around 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Nevada and Seventh Street blocking both lanes of traffic. In the second photo, this tree fell on King street near Tacoma at around 12:15 p.m., bringing down a large pine and reducing traffic to one lane across from Carson Middle School.

Unsettled weather will continue to make its way into the Sierra and Carson City region with high winds moving into the area tonight, according to the National Weather Service. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Carson City region from 7 tonight until 4 a.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, a Winter Weather Advisory for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra has been issued for this afternoon through Friday morning.

A moderate winter storm is forecast to impact the Sierra and western Nevada late Monday night through Tuesday, prompting a Winter Weather Advisory for the Lake Tahoe Basin. Snow is in the forecast for Carson City, with 2 to 4 inches expected, according to the National Weather Service.

UPDATE 6PM: NV Energy reports three outages with 16 customers without power as of 6 p.m., in Carson City. There's one power outage in Douglas County with 242 customers without power and 13 outages with 299 customers without power in Washoe County.
***
NV Energy reports more than 20 power outages around Carson City affecting more than 2,000 customers as of 4:50 p.m. Monday.

High winds around Carson City this Monday afternoon have caused trees to uproot, limbs to snap, fences to topple and a trampoline that blew into this backyard power pole in the 900 block of Chernus Drive.

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the region later this week due to overnight temperatures predicted to be below 15 degrees. Carson City and Friends in Service Helping, also known as FISH, are partnering to protect those seeking refuge from the cold during the overnight period. The cold weather shelter, located at Fuji Park on Old Clear Creek road, is scheduled to open on Wednesday night beginning at 6 p.m. through Saturday night.

The National Weather Service says a strong “October-like” weather system will bring cooler temperatures and very strong wind to the region Friday night through Saturday making for dangerous fire conditions.

A home in Silver Springs was destroyed by fire Wednesday and one person is in custody. Lyon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Susan McInnes in Silver Springs on Wednesday for first degree arson. Her bail is set at $40,000.

According to Central Lyon County Fire District Battalion Chief Mark Darragh, units responded to the fire called into dispatch at 3:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Fifth Street.

A home in Silver Springs was destroyed by fire Wednesday. According to Central Lyon County Fire District Battalion Chief Mark Darragh, units responded to the fire called into dispatch at 3:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Fifth Street.

The fire was fully involved by the time engines arrived, with 90 percent of the 1,500-square-foot structure already consumed. The fire was extinguished without incident and there were no injuries, said Darragh.

UPDATE 1:43PM: The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Carson City, Carson Valley, Alpine County, and Southern Washoe County. Go here for details.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for western Carson City, Douglas County and the South Lake Tahoe, Stateline areas.

At 12:40 p.m. Wednesday, Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located over South Lake Tahoe and moving north at 20 mph.

UPDATE 10AM TUESDAY: Washington Fire swells to 16,544 acres. Crews are working to construct a containment line south of Highway 89 and north of Highway 4 to prevent the fire from spreading toward Markleeville. Smoke continues to waft into Carson Valley and Carson City.
***
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 5 a.m., Tuesday, June 23: Smoke from the Washington Fire in Alpine County drifted over Carson Valley early Tuesday morning, plunging air quality into the “very unhealthy” range, according to the Nevada Division of Environmental protection.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Monday, June 22: The lightning-caused Washington Fire in Alpine County south of Markleeville grew to more than 8,000 acres as it moved through to the north side of Highway 89 and into Bagley Valley Sunday.

Crews managed to contain an estimated 10 percent of the perimeter of the fire by Monday morning.
The extreme fire activity being witnessed with the Washington Fire is primarily due to strong erratic winds and severe drought conditions. These two variables also played a role in firefighting efforts for both air and ground support yesterday.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of June 10, 2015 and beyond.

Recreational Vehicles (RVs), travel trailers and campers are being seen more frequently on the roadways this time of year as vacationers and snow birders travel about the country. Why is this worthy of mention?

An illegal campfire touched off a wildfire Tuesday in the Desolation Wilderness at Granite Lake. Firefighters responded quickly, despite high winds, and were able to keep the fire from spreading, according to a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman.

Elaine and I just returned from a mini vacation in Lone Pine, California, where we spent three days and two nights, having fun goofing off. The original purpose of our trip was to fish for trout in its nearby Diaz Lake, however those plans were reluctantly cancelled due to high winds.