Carson City area weather: Wind and snow with break before returning by weekend
Another round of snow and wind returns to the Carson City area and surrounding counties Tuesday and should last through the evening before the brunt of the system begins to move out of the region, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
Travel is not advised anywhere, whether it's in the mountains or the valleys but especially in the Sierra where white out conditions continue and snow piles up in feet around Lake Tahoe.
As of the time of this writing, I-80 over Donner Pass remains closed Tuesday from the Nevada state line to Emmigrant Gap Road in California and Mt. Rose Highway is closed from Diamond Peak to Incline Lake Recreation Area. US-395 in Mono County, Calif., is closed closed from Gorge Road just north of Bishop to Walker.
For the latest road conditions see NVRoads.com or call 511. Other mountain passes are experiencing heavy, blowing snow.
For the second day, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has ordered state offices closed. Carson City and Douglas County offices are also closed for the day, as are schools and college campuses.
A Winter Storm Warning for the greater Reno, Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton areas and a Blizzard Warning for the Sierra are in effect until 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Heading into Wednesday, snow showers will continue across western Nevada mostly south of US-50. Some areas across the eastern Sierra, as well as southern Lyon and Mineral counties could see bands of light snow showers adding an inch or so of new snow before they diminish Wednesday evening.
A needed break in the stormy weather will happen Thursday and Friday with temperatures remaining a few degrees below seasonal averages, NWS forecasters said. Highs will stay mostly in the 40s across western Nevada and barely making it into the 30s for Sierra valleys.
But the storms are not finished yet, NWS forecasters say. Another system will begin with gusty winds 80 to 90 mph early Saturday that will herald a southwest shift in the upper flow ahead of a weekend winter storm. Gusty winds 35 to 45 mph will then mix down into western Nevada valley locations mostly north of US-50 Saturday afternoon.
NWS forecasters noted in their early Tuesday morning weather discussion briefing that the "timing and precipitation amounts remain fluid at this time so far out in the forecast. The higher uncertainty makes it difficult to make any reliable projection of snow amounts and coverage at this early stage in the game."
Stayed tuned and check back for updates.