Carson City area weather: Sierra snow, valley showers by Saturday; colder storms into next week
Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts as unsettled weather for the Sierra and western Nevada is expected this weekend and beyond, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters say a transition to a more active weather pattern will begin this weekend and likely continue for much of next week. A fast-moving Pacific storm will bring snow to the Sierra late Friday evening into Saturday morning. The storm will mainly be in the Sierra from Alpine County northward, with a brief period of intense 1 to 2 inch per hour snowfall rates possible.
Total snow accumulation will likely be low by Sierra standards with 1 to 2 inches at Lake Tahoe elevation and 4 to 7 inches for the Sierra crest. Hazardous travel over the Sierra passes, including Donner, Echo, and Carson passes, along with areas west of Susanville is anticipated for early Saturday morning. Snow will likely end abruptly after sunrise, according to the weather service.
Light rain or snow showers are expected for foothill and lower valleys across western Nevada Saturday morning with not much, if any accumulation likely, NWS forecasters say. Gusty south-southwest winds will also be possible areawide with most lower elevations seeing 25-35 mph gusts, while the Sierra crest could see gusts as high as 60-80 mph.
After a relatively quiet day on Sunday, the National Weather Service says an active pattern will resume on Monday with waves of snow and gusty winds through Wednesday and possibly Thursday. While the weather service is not anticipating any particularly strong storms, the systems will be on the colder side that could bring snow to valley floors.
Travel disruptions should be expected across the Sierra and possibly at times into Western Nevada from Monday through Wednesday. The latest snow total projections from the weather service shows 1 to 2 feet along the Sierra crest, 6-12 inches for mountain communities, and a dusting to several inches into Western Nevada, including Carson City, Carson Valley, Lyon and Storey counties and the greater Reno area. Wind gusts from 25 mph to 40 mph are possible.
See the latest forecast at weather.gov/Reno and check road conditions with Caltrans and NDOT.
For the latest weather discussion go here. For Carson City area updates see CarsonWeather.com.