Carson City area weather: Late winter storm to bring snow to Sierra, rain to valley
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 03/17/2021 - 10:26am
Inching closer to the first day of spring on Saturday, a late season winter storm will bring gusty winds, mountain snow and rain to Carson City and valley locations by mid-day Thursday with the weather system lingering through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain and high elevation snow will push into the Sierra and northeast California by mid-day Thursday, with the highest precipitation rates late Thursday afternoon and evening. There will be a sharp rain shadow with limited spillover into western Nevada until late Thursday night into Friday.
According to National Weather Service forecasters, snow levels will start on the high side, 6,500 to 7,500 feet. Between this and the midday start, we may not see much if any roadway accumulation during the day Thursday even in mountain communities.
Snow levels will drop off Thursday night into Friday, which is when travel difficulties across the Sierra will be likely. Forecasters say this is the type of storm that will bring significantly more snow to western Sierra slopes than areas east of the crest.
Forecasters also advise that snow/snow pellet showers are possible at all elevations Friday with the potential for even a rumble of thunder, but additional snow accumulation will be minimal.
The storm will bring gusty south to southwest winds on Thursday with winds turning to the northwest on Friday. Winds are rather run of the mill with most gusts in the 30-40 mph range in the lower elevations and 80-100 mph along ridgetops. Still, this is enough to bring choppy lake conditions, difficult travel for high profile vehicles, and turbulence for aviation.
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.
