Carson City area weather: Breezy and colder start to week with Sierra snow showers
Warmer and drier weather will come to an end as a storm system approaches western Nevada and Sierra, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather changes begin Monday, that will lead to cooler and windier conditions along with snow showers, mainly in the Sierra, according to the weather service.
Heading into Monday, a deeper trough right behind the first looks to extend further south over Nevada, bringing more gusty winds and snow showers. The line of snow is likely to move in Monday afternoon across northeast California and sweep southeast down into western Nevada Tuesday morning.
Snow showers may continue into Tuesday afternoon for higher elevations, though any remaining showers will be light. The bulk of the snowfall will be around the Tahoe Basin, with little to no accumulation across western Nevada. Snow amounts of 7 to 10 inches along the Sierra crest on the west side of the Tahoe Basin, 1 to 6 inches below 8,000 feet and up to 4 inches above 6,000 feet in northeast Calif.
Winds will once again be strong and gusty out of the southwest on Monday. Gusts along Sierra ridges could reach as high as 100 mph, with Sierra valleys and western Nevada gusting to 40 to 45 mph.
Temperatures will continue to drop Monday and bottom out on Tuesday before slowly bouncing back up throughout the second half of the upcoming week. Daytime highs Monday around Carson City will be in the mid-50s with lows in the low 30s. Tuesday will see daytime highs in the mid 40s, with lows in the high 20s. Wednesday and Thursday morning's low temperatures are also worth noting, as below freezing temperatures return once again, even for lower valleys.
In addition, the weather service advises property owners may want to turn off irrigation and protect exposed pipes, along with any new sensitive vegetation. Keep those Winter jackets out for just a little longer.
Looking ahead, an additional shortwave is expected to move through Wednesday, but this time very little precipitation is anticipated. Current models show a low chance (around 20 percent) of getting 1 inch of snow along the Sierra.
However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel this week. Ensemble clusters are in indicating a ridge building back in, just in time for next weekend, according to the weather service.