Carson City area weather: Brief return to winter conditions Monday night into Tuesday morning
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 02/13/2022 - 1:13pm
The unusual weather pattern that has brought plenty of sunshine but zero rain or snow precipitation to the Sierra and Carson City region since December will end, albeit briefly, late Monday into Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
A fast moving slider-type low pressure system and cold front will move quickly across eastern California and the Great Basin bringing windy conditions and short periods of rain and snow showers before another dry weather pattern develops, forecasters say.
Winds will be from the southwest to west, increasing Monday afternoon and evening with gusts 35 to 45 mph. Wind prone areas along US-395 between Susanville and Gardnerville may gust up to 55 mph, with Sierra ridge gusts approaching 100 mph, according to the weather service.
A Lake Wind Advisory is in effect from noon Monday to 4 a.m. Tuesday for Lake Tahoe, with southwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and waves 2 to 4 feet possible from mid lake to the north and east shores, according to the weather service.
A band of rain and snow will move southward from Monday evening through late night. Accumulations of 1-3 inches are possible for the Tahoe basin northward into eastern Sierra and Plumas counties, with up to an inch for foothills in far western Nevada. For lower elevations of western Nevada, rain will likely end as a brief period of snow, with snow amounts ranging from a dusting to one half inch.
Sharply colder temperatures near or below freezing will arrive late Monday night into Tuesday. While the snow is expected to end prior to the Tuesday morning commute, slick patches could remain, especially on roads above 5,000 feet and overpasses. Forecasters advise motorists to slow down and allow extra travel time for Tuesday morning.
A weak secondary shortwave behind Monday night's low will keep north winds and cool temperatures going through Wednesday, with another round of stronger northeast-east ridge winds Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
The remainder of the week into early next weekend will then feature a high pressure ridge rebuilding near the west coast and extending into California and Nevada bringing those conditions the region has been familiar with since the start of the year, dry with light winds and a warming trend, according to the NWS forecast discussion page. High temperatures are projected to reach the lower 60s for western Nevada valleys and lower-mid 50s near the Sierra Friday and Saturday.
The latter portion of the Presidents' Day holiday weekend could include another fast moving low pressure system taking a similar track as the system moving through this Monday and Tuesday, with winds increasing late Sunday into Sunday night. This system may contain a bit more moisture, but at this time it doesn't look like a significant rain or snow event, forecasters noted in the discussion.
