Incline Village, NV…In the past several hours’ wind speeds and snowfall rates have increased dramatically. Cornices along the ridge above Crystal Bay will be getting large enough to fall off their own weight and trigger long-running avalanches that could reach the homes below. We advise all residents to stay indoors until further notice.

Avalanches large enough to break trees and move cars have occurred in Crystal Bay under similar storm circumstances. No houses have ever been seriously damaged from large avalanches in Crystal Bay, but there is always a first time. Stay away from uphill windows and doors just in case. Please be aware of blocked vents due to high levels of snow accumulation. This advisory may last for the next 24+ hours depending on how long the storm lasts. Road crews will not be plowing streets until further notice. Residents will be notified as soon as possible when the Advisory is lifted. Click on the following link for affected streets in the Crystal Bay area: https://www.washoecounty.us/outreach/_files/dept-cmo/avalanche-documents.pdf

Backcountry travel is not advised at this time.

If you live in the Crystal Bay area, you may have received a reverse 911 call made by Washoe County Emergency Management advising you of the situation this morning.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD), Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Emergency Management encourage all to sign up for regional alerts to ensure you are informed of emergency events occurring in the region.

Please visit www.readywashoe.com to register and for more information on emergency preparedness.

For Washoe County announcements and updates, please visit https://www.washoecounty.us/outreach.

For current avalanche, snow and weather information for the greater Lake Tahoe area, please visit http://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/.