After a winter of misses, Carson City will likely see several inches of snow from storm

Will Carson City see several inches of snow on the ground from a winter storm expected to blow through region beginning Thursday? National Weather Service forecasters are leaning toward a resound yes.

Around Reno, Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton areas, the weather service expects anywhere from 2 to 5 inches, with amounts of 6 to 12 inches above 5,000 feet is possible from the first storm arriving Thursday afternoon and evening and lasting through Friday morning, with additional snow possible Friday night. A Winter Weather Advisory for Carson City and surrounding areas is in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday.

Throughout this winter season, Carson City has not seen snow amounts anywhere near amounts recorded to the north in the Reno-Sparks area, and to the south into Douglas County and along Highway 395 in Mono County. A lot of variables are associated as to why Carson City hasn't seen the accumulation, including the unpredictable "slider" systems, which are typically short bursts of precipitation that happen when conditions are lined up right.

According to Marvin Boyd of the National Weather Service in Reno, the winter storm system moving into the region has all the ingredients for widespread snow amounts, to the north, south, east and west.

"This storm has an open water trajectory coming off of the Pacific Ocean. It has a lot more moisture to work with and stronger forcing, and energy to produce snow," Boyd explained. "This is why we are more confident that there will be widespread snow coverage. Totals will range widely, 2 to 6 inches, and up to 12 above 5,000 feet. But yes, there is a lot deeper moisture with the system and energy with the low pressure coming through."

For the Sierra, a Blizzard Warning on top of a Winter Storm Warning is also in effect. Motorists are warned not to drive on the roads during the snow events, which could produce zero visibility due to gusty winds. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 feet possible in the high Sierra above 7,000 feet, with 1 to 3 feet of snow around the 6,000 feet elevation, including the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Ahead of the storm, Wednesday afternoon's mostly calm conditions makes for a good time to secure the outdoor wind chimes and furniture, and, of course, when the wind starts blowing and the snow starts flying, you'll want to bring in the pets.

Winds will Increase late Wednesday night ahead of the storm. Widespread gusts of 45-60 mph can be expected Thursday morning and into Thursday afternoon, with the strongest winds along the Highway 395 corridor from Susanville down to Mammoth Lakes, including the Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley areas. Strong cross winds and wind shear are likely to impact high profile vehicles and aviation travel during this time.

Wind gusts over the Sierra ridges will be over 100 mph so whiteout conditions could become prolonged during the heaviest snow in the Sierra Thursday and Thursday night.

When will snow begin to fly? Snow will begin in the Sierra by Wednesday evening and intensify early Thursday into Thursday night. For western Nevada Thursday afternoon, spillover will be limited initially since snow levels will be near 4,500 to 5,000 feet and strong stable downslope winds will exist.

Once the cold front moves through the region, at this time forecasters say after 4 p.m. Thursday, precipitation will spillover into western Nevada. A rainy, snow mix will rapidly change over to all snow Thursday night in the lower valleys as snow levels plummet with the cold front.

Snow levels will remain down to all valley floors for the rest of the weekend, forecasters say.

Travel plans over the Sierra? You may want to wait it out once the storm hits. Thursday and Thursday night will be the most dangerous time to travel in the Sierra, due to heavy snowfall rates of up to 2-4 inches per hour and strong winds producing very low visibility.

Spillover into the lower valleys of western Nevada will be the heaviest Thursday evening into Friday morning and will likely affect the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes with moderate snow. We should see a lull in the storm on Friday, but then see a second storm wave arrives Friday night bringing additional heavy snow to the region. Widespread travel impacts are expected during these times.

Even light snowfall causes major travel delays, especially during periods of high traffic volume. Be sure to allow extra time to reach your destination. Leave extra space between vehicles since it takes longer to stop on slick roadways. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 511 or logging onto NVRoads.com.