Sunny first days of spring around Carson City area; valley rain, mountain snow by weekend
Heading into the first day of spring, sunny and warm conditions will continue around Carson City and surrounding counties through Thursday before changes come Friday and into the weekend, bringing periods of valley rain and mountain snow, according to the National Weather Service.
With daytime highs expected to reach near 70 for today, Tuesday's spring equinox, forecasters say to enjoy the warm weather before the change later in the week. Valley temperatures will be in the mid-60s Wednesday, Thursday and into Friday, each day with breezy conditions.
The weather is expected to turn Friday beginning with windy conditions as a cold front pushes through the region, NWS forecasters said. Gusts will be in the 30 mph to 40 mph range with stronger gusts along the Sierra ridge lines, where gusts of 80-plus mph will be possible.
The weather system moving is expected to bring snow into the northern Sierra and Lake Tahoe Basin by Friday evening, peaking late night into early Saturday morning, forecasters said. The front will likely drop snow levels down to around 5,000 to 5,500 feet by Saturday morning.
Then, snow will spread south along the Sierra Saturday into Sunday as the upper trough settles over the area, forecasters said.
How much snow? Well, at the time of this writing it is too early to tell. But it appears to be nothing in the way of blockbuster. For updates see the latest weather service forecast discussion here.
For Carson City and surrounding counties, periods of light rain will spillover into western Nevada. Weather models at this time show about a 20 percent chance of .25 of an inch of rain by Saturday with, for now anyway, a 15 percent chance for thunderstorms and the potential for pellet showers, to all areas.
Forecasters note the rain and snow will likely come in waves and will not be continuous through the weekend. That being said, periods of travel difficulties in the Sierra can be anticipated. Check back for updates.