Lyon County Emergency Management has since reported that flood waters are receding, though still flowing in the drainages, and there is no threat remaining to life or property at this time.
Responding to the concern of a "Dam Failure" Lyon County explained that they requested the National Weather Service to activate the Emergency Alert System to notify residents of potential flash flooding and unfortunately the only category that this event would categorize as was a dam failure. The NWS followed the appropriate protocols and Lyon County says they are grateful for their cooperation.
Lyon County recommends that the public keep all of their flood mitigation measures in place for at least a month.
UPDATE @ 6:20 p.m.
A dam in Dayton in Lyon County Nevada continues to remain intact, but water is now flowing from a storm water retention pond, according to Lyon County officials.
Lyon County Manager Jeff Page said in a statement later Tuesday afternoon the situation could change but the dam has not failed and currently there is no immediate threat to homes or property. Evacuation orders have not been issued, even though the NWS is warning people to leave the area.
Page says the retention pond is full and overflowing but so far all the water is moving into neighboring drainage ditches.
The flash flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in Reno remains in effect until 6:30 p.m. PST.
FIRST REPORT @ 4:15 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada is warning of an "imminent" dam break about 85 miles northeast of the Reno-Lake Tahoe area.
The NWS is urging people to evacuate immediately.
URGENT: Retention basin above East Dayton, NV failing! FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 6:40PM. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. #NVWx #DamFailure pic.twitter.com/frXe8qhyI5
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) February 21, 2017
The area was already dealing with a Winter Storm Warning.
According the Reno NWS office, the South Dayton Retention Pond in Central Lyon County, Nevada, could break by 5pm EST. Between two and four feet of water could rush in to the areas of East Dayton Nevada.
It's unclear how many people live in the affected areas, but according to a 2010 census, more than 50,000 people reside in the region.
The NWS is urging people to immediately seek higher ground.
We'll continue to monitor the situation in Lyon County, Nevada. Check this site for further developments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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