The Latest: I-80 open; avalanche cleared at Mt. Rose

RENO, Nev. – The Latest on conditions in northern Nevada after a winter storm brought snow to the mountains and valleys around Reno (all times local):

5:35 p.m.

The Mount Rose Highway connecting Reno to Lake Tahoe has reopened after an avalanche buried it in 20 feet of snow two days ago.

Traffic also is moving in both directions on U.S. Interstate 80 from Reno to Sacramento, California. Sections had been closed off-and-on since the latest in a series of winter storms dumped more than 4 feet of snow on the top of the Sierra Nevada Monday night and Tuesday.

The highway patrol said Wednesday night tire chains are still required on most mountain passes.

The Mount Rose Highway, State Route 451 from Reno to Incline Village, had been closed since the avalanche shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

Sunny skies prevailed across the region Wednesday, but another winter storm is in the forecast for the weekend.

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8:10 a.m.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is reporting more than two dozen crashes on Interstate 80 and highways in and around Reno after a winter storm brought snow to the mountains and valleys of northern Nevada.

Trooper Dan Gordon said Wednesday that no serious injuries have been reported, and most accidents involve single-vehicle spin-outs and fender-benders.

Gordon says trouble spots on I-80 are near Verdi and the California state line, in Sparks, and east of Fernley.

Several crashes are reported on Interstate 580 in Reno, and on U.S. 50 near Dayton and east toward Stagecoach.

Gordon says every snow plow in the region is in use.

He says highway officials hope Wednesday to clear some 20 feet of snow left by a Monday avalanche on the Mount Rose Highway between Reno and Lake Tahoe.

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6:50 a.m.

Commuters in Reno are encountering icy and snow-covered roads after a winter storm moving through the area dumped just over 10 inches of snow in some parts of the city overnight.

The National Weather Service in Reno says the airport saw 4 inches of snow, while 10.4 inches were recorded at the weather station.

Meteorologist Mark Deutschendorf says traffic on U.S. Highway 395 was moving slow Wednesday morning. Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 30s across the city.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports Mt. Rose Highway remained closed Wednesday morning as a result of an avalanche near the Galena Creek Visitors Center.

Deutschendorf says higher elevations in the mountains have seen accumulations of up to 5 feet of snow since the storm began moving through the area Sunday.