LAS VEGAS (AP) - A portion of the highway is open again after a lengthy closure prompted by gusts that reached 50 mph in the Las Vegas area.
Clark County officials said a section of the 215 Beltway near the airport was closed around 11 a.m. on Friday after wind moved plywood panels on an overpass construction site. Lanes were reopened by 3 p.m.
County spokesman Dan Kulin said nothing fell from the ramp, but officials were concerned that debris might damage passing cars. He said the county and contractor are exploring how to prevent the problem from recurring.
McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones said winds were causing delays and at some points on Friday, a stop on departures.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for the Las Vegas area effective until midnight.
A winter storm warning expired around the Reno area Friday morning as snow showers moved off to the east. But a lake wind advisory remained into the effect into the evening at Lake Tahoe, where winds gusting up to 35 mph were producing waves from 1- to 3-feet tall.
Rain continued along much of the Sierra’s eastern front, where the National Weather Service reported more than 5 inches in a 48-hour period in Plumas County, California north of Reno.
Nearly 4 inches was reported east of Incline Village, 2 inches in Virginia City, 2.8 inches in Verdi just west of Reno, and more than one-half inch in Reno and Sparks.
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