Carson City area weather: Windy and turning colder with weekend rain, snow showers possible
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 05/04/2022 - 9:24am
Weather conditions around the Carson City region are shaping up to be windy for the next few days and then turning much colder with chances of rain and snow showers into the later part of the weekend and into next week, according to the National Weather Service.
Changes are expected to arrive Thursday and Friday, most noticeably with the wind. Forecasters anticipate wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph Thursday, and 35-55 mph Friday, locally stronger in wind prone locations, NWS forecasters said.
Area of blowing dust are possible both afternoons downwind of the Carson Sink, possibly affecting portions of I-80, US 50, and Highway 95. In addition, backcountry and ski recreation could be impacted along with choppy conditions on area lakes, forecasters noted.
It will remain breezy throughout the weekend, with another round of strong winds Sunday due to a strong cold front. This front will usher in a much colder air mass and high temperatures on Mother's Day will be 15 to 20 degrees below normal, according to the weather service.
There will be rain and snow showers with the front, but liquid amounts will be minimal, according to NWS forecasters. There are solid chances for snow levels to fall to all valley floors by Sunday evening, which may catch many off guard, though it is hard to get snow to stick to roadways in lower elevation valleys this late in the spring.
Well below normal temperatures and chances for light showers will continue into Monday and Tuesday next week. While still some uncertainty due to winds and cloud cover, it's possible we could have frost and freeze concerns Sunday and Monday nights.
Go here or read below the latest weather discussion from NWS forecasters.
Winds will begin to increase again Thursday, initially across ridge lines by daybreak, mixing down to all elevations by late morning into early afternoon. While it will be solidly breezy, this is only the warm-up to the next big wind event on Friday. For now, ensembles are suggesting most locations will see wind gusts in the 35-45 mph range on Thursday afternoon, locally stronger in wind prone locations.
This means rough lake waters and potential travel difficulties for high profile vehicles. Sustained speeds 20-25 mph across the west central Nevada basin and range should be enough to begin to loft dust off the Carson Sink as well, though am not expecting the extent to be as wide as what we may see Friday.
Temperatures will begin to cool but remain mild Thursday. A few light showers are possible near the Oregon border with increasing cloud cover throughout the region.
Friday through next week
A cold trough invades the northwestern CONUS Friday. This will intensify thermal gradients significantly with stronger winds the result. Be prepared for southwest to west gusts climbing into the 35-50 mph range Friday afternoon and evening ahead of a frontal boundary being shoved south by the cold trough.
Ensemble guidance shows a 60 to 80 percent chance for gusts to around 60 mph for the wind-prone sections of US-395 from Susanville to the Reno-Carson area, falling off to a 40 to 50 percent chance for the eastern Sierra. Blended guidance also highlights the Surprise Valley for strong winds in excess of 55 mph; however, confidence in this is lower than farther south due to the fact that a cold front may clear that area by early-mid Friday afternoon and tamp down the mixing down of stronger winds aloft.
With sustained winds in excess of 20-25 mph Friday, dust plumes are a good bet off the western NV dry lake beds. It will be interesting to see how much dust is left to blow off the playas after all the recent dust plume-inducing wind events.
Chilly Mother's Day into early next week
Simulations continue to show an increasingly chilly Mother's Day weekend, with breezy to windy conditions persisting. The largest drop in temperatures will be on Mother's Day with highs topping out around 15-20 degrees below average as the Pacific Northwest trough begins driving southward in earnest. Highs on Mother's Day should drop into the 40s and 50s with increasing chances for snow showers (except lowest valley rain/snow showers) late Sunday into Monday morning.
This system is dropping into the region from the Gulf of Alaska, which could bring enough cold air to lower snow levels below 4,000 to 5,000 feet but with limited moisture. Precipitation totals are meager, with only a 20 percent chance of a 0.25 inch in the Sierra with less than 0.10 inch elsewhere. Cold air behind this system has a shot at dropping morning lows into the upper 20s to mid 30s for lower valleys for next Monday to Wednesday. Watch those sprinklers to avoid icing sidewalks.
Check back for updates.
