Update: High winds cause Liberty Utilities to shut off power in Alpine

NV Energy workers in Genoa on Friday morning. A public safety watch will be in effect starting Monday at 11 a.m. in Nevada's oldest city.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.

Liberty Utilities shut off power to 686 customers in Markleeville, Woodfords and Hope Valley at 8:15 a.m. Monday as a storm front rolled across the Eastern Sierra.

According to the company's website, the outage could last up to 24 hours as workers check lines for damage.

A resource site will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Woodfords Community Center, 96 Washoe Blvd. for those who do not have an alternative power source.

A wind gust of 50 mph was recorded in Woodfords Canyon at 8:50 a.m., with gusts exceeding 40 mph since 7:50 a.m

Due to Monday's windy conditions, NV Energy has issued a public safety advisory for power outages for Veterans Day.

The watch is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Genoa north to western Carson City and the Virginia City Highlands.

“A watch means weather criteria indicates that NV Energy may need to proactively turn off power to prevent wildfires in your community,” a post from nvenergy.com said.

Forecasters are forecasting gusty southwest winds gusting more than 70 mph across the higher Sierra ridges, dropping into the Carson Valley with gusts of more than 40 mph Monday morning through the afternoon.

A sea wind warning is in effect today from 10pm to 7pm. Monday with 15-25 mph southwest winds, gusts up to 40 mph and waves of 2-4 feet on Lake Tahoe.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a winter weather advisory for the greater Lake Tahoe area from noon to 10 p.m. Monday, with 2 to 6 inches of snow and winds of up to 45 mph predicted above 6,500 feet.

“A storm system will begin moving into northeastern California Monday morning, spreading south into the Reno-Tahoe metropolitan area around midday and then into the eastern Sierra in Mono County during the afternoon into early evening,” National Weather Service Reno Meteorologist Gigi Giralte said Sunday afternoon . “The majority of valley rain and mountain snow will fall near or during the afternoon commute for the Reno, Carson, Truckee and Tahoe areas.”

Giralte predicted there would be no more rain and snow between 7 and 8 p.m. Monday due to the fast-moving storm.

“Ahead of the precipitation, stronger wind gusts are expected with speeds exceeding 70 mph on ridges and over 40 mph in valleys,” Giralte said. “In addition, a drop in temperature of over 10 degrees is expected between today and Monday.”

Once the storm clears, another front is expected to move into western Nevada on Wednesday.

“A brief lull in active weather during the week dissipates into a disorganized and, frankly, fairly unpredictable series of storms late Wednesday and through the weekend,” she said.