Carson City area weekend weather: Wind and snow in valleys; winter storm warning for Tahoe
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 01/04/2024 - 3:40pm
After lackluster precipitation from late fall onward, a weekend winter storm is on tap to bring the Sierra anywhere from 10 to 20-plus inches of snow, while Carson City and surrounding counties may see a few inches pile up, according to the National Weather Service.
The series begins early Friday morning with a weak passing system that is expected to bring light snow, likely less than an inch, to the region. It's a cold system so there may be icy roads. Forecasters advise to be prepared for a slow morning commute. See NVroads.com or call 511 for the latest road conditions.
Then the main winter storm arrives Saturday into Sunday, with strong winds, periods of heavy Sierra snow, lighter snow into western Nevada, and some of the coldest air so far this season, forecasters said in the latest NWS weather discussion, which is updated twice daily. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 7 a.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra.
The wind
The main storm will be ushered in with gusty north winds that will start Friday and then transition westerly before daybreak Saturday. By mid-late morning Saturday the Sierra crest may see gusts reaching near 100 mph. These winds will begin to surface into lower valleys by late morning, forecasters said.
Wind prone locations may easily see gusts reaching 40 to 60 mph, which includes portions of US-395/I-580 and US-95 as well. The westerly direction will be a crosswind along these routes, with travel impacts for high
profile vehicles. Elsewhere, anticipate gusts of 30-40 mph from early afternoon through the evening. Winds will turn northerly overnight into Sunday, remaining breezy.
The snow
The "leading edge" of the storm will arrive Saturday with peak snow rates into the Sierra during the day for areas near/north of US-50, continuing into the night for Mono County.
Currently rates of 1-3 inches per hour look probable for the Sierra. The timing however, is unclear but will be updated. For now forecasters say there's a 60 to 80 percent chance to exceed a foot in the high Sierra, with upper end scenarios nearing 2 feet along the crest.
Carson City and Western Nevada valleys
The storm is "plenty cold" for snow down to western Nevada valley floors, with a "most likely" scenario of up to 2 inches, and a "boom" potential pushing 6 inches in a few locations, forecasters say.
"This will be a dry, fluffy snow and can blow around easily. Travel will be treacherous in the Sierra Saturday due to the high snowfall rates and gusty winds, with very low visibility and icy roads expected," NWS said in the discussion. "Avoid travel if you can, and if you must travel be prepared for long delays, have a winter travel kit, and carry chains. Snow showers will linger into Sunday and given the cold north flow, relatively warmer lakes, and steep lapse rates, would not be surprised to get some lake effect snow off Pyramid, Tahoe, Mono or Walker Lakes."
It will be cold
Forecasters said that compared to the the mild temperatures this late fall into early winter, the arriving weather system "will make it that much more shocking to the system." Expect the coldest temperatures so far this season Sunday into Monday with highs barely getting above freezing Sunday in even the warmer valleys and north winds adding to the chill. Overnight lows will plunge into the teens and single digits for "warmer" areas and below zero
in colder Sierra valleys, forecasters said.
Expect cold but quiet conditions to follow to start next week with additional storms a possibility into the second week of January, forecasters said. Stay tuned and check back for updates.
