winter weather

The federal government is offering assistance to northern Nevada businesses and homeowners affected by January's winter storms. Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick reports. 

The Small Business Administration is now offering disaster loans for those affected by this year’s severe weather that caused widespread flooding and forced hundreds of evacuations.

Rick Jenkins is public information officer for the agency.

1:15 pm Thursday update:

Much of this information was compiled from Placer County press releases:

Some staggering snow totals are coming in from the Lake Tahoe area that's been battered by a blizzard since Monday night.

As of 10 am Thursday, the Kirkwood ski resort has received 4 feet of new snow in the last 24 hours for a seven-day total of more than 11 feet. More than 4 feet of new snow also was reported at Sugar Bowl near Donner Pass. 

2 am Monday update:

As the Truckee River begins to level off in downtown Reno, the river is expected to crest between 6 am and noon Monday in Sparks. As of 2 am, there have been no flood-related injuries reported by REMSA, though about 400 dwellings in Washoe County and nine commercial buildings were evacuated. Our News Director Michelle Billman just spoke to Seth Williams, he's a division chief for Reno Fire, to get an update on flood conditions and to look ahead on what to expect for the morning commute.

Interview highlights:

Mt. Rose Ski Resort opened Friday and several others will follow suit shortly. Our reporter Sarah Parks has more.

The resort came close to opening on Halloween when it had 18 inches of snow on top of the mountain. But there were only 3 inches at the base, which was not enough to sustain skier traffic.

The recent cold temperatures have helped the resort maintain the 10 inches of snow needed at the base.