Road crews gear up for Sierra storms

RENO -- Snow removal crews in the Lake Tahoe area say they're ready for whatever Mother Nature hurls at them as weather forecasters predict the region could be walloped by two storms that could bring snow totals unseen in recent years.

"We're ready," said Steve Lindroth, day crew foreman for the Truckee Public Works Department. "The whole crew will be here, no days off. We'll have 10 guys on the plows, three running plow/sand trucks, a grader and two more fellows available.

"And that's just the day shift. Experienced crews will be here around the clock."

The first wave is expected Thursday, with a second and wetter system forecast to arrive Sunday.

Forecasters can't accurately predict the storms' tracks, but odds are the systems will leave a foot to several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada and bring rain Thursday and snow Friday to the valleys and ranges of the Great Basin. The two systems combined could leave 10 feet of snow at the higher elevations, the National Weather Service has advised.

The storms are predicted to hit at a time when holiday revelers are heading home and skiers are coming up the mountain to take advantage of new powder. Lindroth said the town of Truckee has its "gridlock" plan in place to keep lanes open and traffic flowing.

"If it goes as predicted, this one looks pretty intense," he said. "We've got all our equipment up and running."