Carson City area weather: Windy and cooler with chance of valley rain, Sierra snow showers
An arriving weather system will bring down temperatures, producing gusty winds and a chance of valley rain and Sierra snow showers through Wednesday, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
Periods of steady rain and snow showers are expected across the Sierra and portions of western Nevada with the best potential favoring the Sierra passes through Wednesday afternoon, forecasters noted in a special weather statement.
For Carson City, Carson Valley areas, there's a 70 percent chance of showers Tuesday night into Wednesday, with rain or snow showers possible Wednesday morning. The overnight low is expected around 32 with daytime highs in the low to mid-50s Wednesday before starting to warm up again Thursday.
Higher elevation passes in the Sierra such as Mt Rose Highway, Sonora Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Monitor Pass, Carson Pass, Donner Summit and Tioga Pass could see anywhere from 2-6 inches of snow. One to 2 inches of snowfall will also be possible for lower Lake Tahoe communities, according to the weather statement.
Accumulations are likely to be short-lived, or possibly non-existent, during the daylight hours given the time of year. While lower elevations in western Nevada will see predominately rain for the lower elevations, snow pellets may mix in at times. Isolated thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon both days, according to the weather statement.
Gusty winds will continue through the evening with the strongest winds remaining across Mono County. Southwest wind gusts around 40-50 mph will continue through the early evening with wind prone areas along US-395 seeing localized higher gusts up to 65 mph. Winds to turn north for all locations Tuesday night behind the front.
Expect choppy lakes, turbulence and wind shear for aviation, and potential travel difficulties for high profile vehicles. Areas of blowing dust are also expected through the west-central Nevada Basin and Range. Lighter northerly breezes will prevail on Thursday.
Temperatures will be much cooler than we've experienced lately, forecasters say, with highs only reaching into the 50s or near 60 degrees in the lower valleys on Wednesday. Lows will drop near or below freezing, especially outside of urban centers, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
The weather service advises people to protect any sensitive early season vegetation.