SPARKS, Nev. (AP) - The Latest on flood preparations in the Reno area (all times local):
6:15 p.m.
Forecasters predicting the worst flooding in northern Nevada in more than a decade say the high waters in the Reno-Sparks area should peak sometime late Sunday or early Monday with heavy rain on the heels of a weeklong winter storm.
The National Weather Service says the worst flooding early Monday is expected in the Sparks industrial area where about 25,000 employees work just east of Reno and south of Interstate 80.
Flood warnings go into effect Saturday night for much of the Sierra’s eastern front where 6 feet of snow has fallen on the mountain tops southwest of Reno since Monday.
The weather service says the Truckee River’s flows in Sparks should peak at about 5 feet above flood stage at about 5 a.m. Monday.
That’s similar to the last big flood in the winter of 2005-2006, but about 3.5 feet lower than the 1997 New Year’s Day flood that swamped the downtown Reno casino district and caused $1 billion damage in six counties.
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12:15 p.m.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Nevada city that is expected experience severe flooding this weekend.
The city of Sparks issued the emergency declaration ahead of weekend flooding that forecasters say could be the worst in the area in more than a decade.
Levels of the Truckee River have been surging amid heavy rainfall and snow over the past week. The Truckee flows from Lake Tahoe through Carson City and Reno.
Washoe County Emergency Manger Aaron Kenneston told reporters that discussions with National Weather Service forecasters confirmed there’s a high confidence level the river will surge several feet above its banks by Sunday.
An industrial area could experience the worst flooding. The area includes marijuana growing locations and businesses that store barrels of toxic waste. Authorities are monitoring the drums to make sure they are secure and don’t float away in floodwaters - a scenario that happened during a historic Reno flood in 1997.
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10:45 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Reno area this weekend amid a deluge of rainfall and snow that caused at least one location to run out of sandbags.
The Truckee River is forecast to rise to its highest point in more than a decade. The Truckee flows from Lake Tahoe through Carson City and Reno.
An industrial area in the city of Sparks that includes warehouses and manufacturing facilities is believed to be the most vulnerable spot.
Authorities have set up more than a dozen locations around the Reno area where people can pick up sandbags. Sparks spokesman Adam Mayberry said one of the spots ran out Thursday but had it refilled by Friday.
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