Carson City area weather: Snow prompts winter weather advisory for Lake Tahoe and Sierra
A blast of winter weather expected in the Sierra has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for the Lake Tahoe Basin and a winter storm warning along the west slope of the Sierra. For western Nevada, forecasters say we can expect rain showers.
Forecasters say the storm will bring snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches possible at Lake Tahoe level with 4 to 8 inches above 7,000 feet. Along the Sierra Crest, around 1 foot is possible. Winds could gust up to 35 mph in the lower elevations with gusts up to 70 mph along the Sierra Crest. The Winter Weather Advisory for the greater Lake Tahoe area runs until 5 a.m. Monday.
The weather service advises travel could be difficult especially from late this afternoon through this evening, with short periods of heavy snowfall producing slick or slushy roads and poor visibility. Even lighter snow accumulations cause major travel delays, especially during periods of high traffic volume. Be sure to allow extra time to reach your destination and leave extra space between vehicles. If heading into the backcountry, gear up for winter conditions.
Meanwhile, there's a Winter Storm Warning for Western Plumas County, Lassen Park and the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada until 11 a.m. Monday. Heavy snow expected. Plan on difficult travel conditions. Additional snow accumulations of 7 to 10 inches, with localized amounts up to 16 inches, are expected.
For the Carson City, Carson Valley and and Dayton areas, Sunday forecasters say there's a 50 percent chance of rain or snow showers into the evening, with highs in the low 50s and overnight lows in the upper 20s, according to the weather service. There's a 20 percent chance of showers (rain or snow) on Monday, with highs in the low 50s and overnight lows in the upper 20s.
As of 10 a.m. Sunday there were no weather warnings or advisories for the Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and Carson Valley areas. All weather advisories were centered in the Sierra.
After the storm blows out, the warming trend begins around the Carson City, Carson Valley region, with highs in the low 60s on Tuesday, low 70s on Wednesday and low 80s on Thursday, according to the weather service.
Check the latest forecast at weather.gov/Reno and check road conditions with Caltrans and NDOT. For Carson City area updates see CarsonWeather.com.