Carson City area weather: Late spring storm to bring gusty winds, valley rain and Sierra snow
A late-season spring storm will bring gusty winds, below average temperatures, mountain snow, and periods of valley rain Sunday through Tuesday around the Carson City region, according to the National Weather Service.
For Carson City, Carson Valley and much of northern Nevada Nevada, a Wind Advisory is in place through 8 p.m. Forecasters say we can expect widespread gusts of 35-50 mph and localized higher gusts in wind prone locations. Impacts to road and air travel are possible along with dangerous boating conditions and areas of blowing dust downwind of desert sinks.
Gusts could be strong enough to damage some fences and bring down branches. Fire weather concerns will also be present in areas that have dried grassy fuels, according to the weather service.
Rain will arrive in the Sierra on Sunday with snow levels lowering from about 9,000 feet to 7,000 feet by Monday morning. Impacts to Sierra passes are possible Monday morning with a few inches of snowfall possible.
The cold front will sweep through on Monday which will provide western Nevada its best shot at rain showers. Gusty winds will also remain, particularly south of Highway 50 just ahead of the advancing cold front.
Snow levels above Lake Tahoe will also continue to drop Monday evening into Tuesday morning with snow levels falling below 6,000 feet. Light snow showers will be possible at lake level but accumulations should be limited. All told, High Sierra elevations, mainly above 8,000 feet could accumulate up to a foot of wet snow through Tuesday morning.
Lingering snow and pellet showers will prevail Tuesday with isolated lightning strikes not out of the question on Monday and Tuesday.
Much cooler conditions will prevail Tuesday with high temperatures as much as 20 degrees below season averages. Some freezes will be possible in rural lower valleys Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.