Carson City area weather: Caltrans to close 3 Sierra passes Thursday due to coming storm
UPDATE: Caltrans announced it will close three routes over Sierra mountain passes on Thursday due to a storm system moving into the region bringing snow to the upper elevations.
State Route 108 at Sonora Pass will close at noon, State Route 89 Monitor Pass will close at 2 p.m. and State Route 120 will closed at 5 p.m., according to Caltrans.
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Weather changes are on the way, with cooler temperatures over the next couple days and potential of rain and high elevation snow, according to the National Weather Service. After the weekend, a second and much colder system is possible, with the potential for snow showers and a hard freeze extending from the Sierra and into Carson City and western Nevada valleys.
Forecasters say there's a good chances for rain and high elevation snow showers Thursday and Friday, with the best chances for wetting rains along the eastern Sierra into western Nevada along and south of I-80.
The highest liquid totals may end up near and east of US-95. Several inches of snow will be possible for higher elevations in the Sierra and above Lake Tahoe, according to the weather service.
According to the weather forecast discussion, snow levels appear to hold steady near 7,500 to 8,000 feet, but may drop to near 6,500 to 7,000 feet by early Saturday morning. There will be a few inches of snow possible in the Sierra and some western Nevada mountain peaks, particularly for areas south of Interstate 80.
The weather service advises motorists to be prepared for at least some wet or slush covered roads if you are heading over the Sierra via I-80 and US-50 late Thursday into Friday. Motorists should check with Caltrans and NDOT for the latest closures along the high Sierra passes (CA-4, 88, 108 and 120) as they may close emporarily ahead of the storm system.
Daytime high temperatures 10-15 degrees below normal Thursday through Saturday with overnight temperatures slipping to near or below freezing in valleys and urban areas over the weekend, from Reno to Carson City and Carson Valley.
A second and much colder system will drop into the region Monday and Tuesday with snow levels potentially falling to all valley floors, according to the weather service. The freeze potential increases as an even colder air mass drops into the region. Widespread hard freezes are looking highly probable, an 80 to 90 percent chance, by Tuesday morning, NWS forecasters say.
As for winds, while there could be periods with increased breezes through Friday, there are no signals for any strong wind events, forecasters say. Winds will be lighter over the upcoming weekend before increasing again Monday and turning northerly.