Carson City area weather update: Slick roads, cold and sunny skies follow storm
After the season's first significant storm dumped around a foot more of snow in the Sierra and a few inches down into Carson City and surrounding counties, sunny skies with cold temperatures are expected Sunday through Tuesday with another storm by midweek, according to the National Weather Service.
While the snow and strong winds have ended, the travel impacts remain with icy conditions throughout the region. Chains and snow tires are required over mountain passes Sunday morning and throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Down in the valleys, conditions on local highways and main roadways are clearing from snow removal efforts but remain slick, therefore chains or snow tires were required on I-580 from Carson Valley in Douglas County through Washoe Valley, and Highway 50 East from Mound House to Dayton. Check NVroads.com for the latest updates.
NV Energy reports a power outage Sunday morning affecting 849 customers in the Johnson Lane area in Douglas County. The power outage happened at 7:21 a.m. The estimated time of restoration was unknown as of 8:41 a.m. The cause is under investigation.
Sunday will bring a chance to clear out the snow that fell Saturday, although melting will be slow as temperatures will not recover very much (highs in the 30s for lower elevations, 20s for Sierra communities) in the post-storm air mass, according to the weather service.
Very chilly temperatures will return again Sunday night, with lows mainly in the single digits and teens for most areas, a few sub-zero minimums for typically colder sites in western Nevada, and well below zero for Sierra valleys.
With temperatures this cold, outdoor pets and livestock continue to need access to a warmer and sheltered location, and exposed water pipes could be at risk for bursting if not adequately protected, forecasters advise.
While Monday should be mainly dry, warm air advection aloft could bring an area of light snow across the Surprise Valley and far northwest Nevada during the day. Snow amounts are expected to be less than 1 an inch, forecasters said.
Tuesday brings another shortwave into the Sierra and western Nevada, with a limited moisture tap but stronger winds ramping up again. Gusts could reach or exceed 50 mph in lower elevations of western Nevada, with Sierra ridge gusts up to 100 mph, according to the weather service.
Early snow projections with this wave are in the 2-5 inch range for the Sierra crest west of Tahoe, and up to 2 inches for the Tahoe basin, northeast California, Surprise Valley and far northwest Nevada. A leading cold front brings a glancing blow to west central Nevada ate Tuesday with most of the cold air and snow pushing into the eastern Great Basin, but a band of light snow is projected to spread across northern Pershing County during the late afternoon-early evening.
A stronger and colder storm is then on track to drop southward into the region Wednesday through Wednesday night. This could be a similar event to Saturday's storm, with a short round of strong winds followed by bursts of heavier snow. Check back for updates.