The winter storm that dumped several feet of snow at ski resorts around Lake Tahoe is raising flood concerns along the Sierra's eastern front, including Reno, Sparks and the Carson City area.
The National Weather Service says more than 6 feet of snow has fallen in the upper elevations of the Sierra since Sunday, including about 2 feet in the last two days.
The California Highway Patrol has reopened a 50-mile stretch of U.S. Interstate 80 that was closed Wednesday night in blizzard conditions over Donner Pass west of Truckee, California. But chains or snow tires remained mandatory Thursday on all the Sierra passes stretching from south of Carson City to north of Reno.
The weather service issued a flash flood watch effective Saturday night through Monday morning throughout the region as another storm system moves in with warmer temperatures. As much as 4 inches of rain is forecast in Reno this weekend, with 6 to 12 inches in the Tahoe basin.
