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Carson City area weather: Windy and cold with valley rain, mountain snow this weekend
The weather pattern of sunny warm days will abruptly change this weekend with a strong cold front to move through the Carson City area and Lake Tahoe region bringing much colder temperatures, gusty winds, valley rain and mountain snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Beginning Friday afternoon, winds will be strong and gusty from the southwest, with the strongest winds expected with the frontal passage Friday night into Saturday, NWS forecasters say.
Widespread gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible in the valleys with up to 50 mph in wind prone locations. Sierra ridgetop gusts of around 70-90 mph are possible. Impacts from winds include: Road travel restrictions due to cross winds (particularly for high profile vehicles), aviation turbulence/shear, hazardous boating conditions, and areas of blowing dust downstream of dry lake beds.
Precipitation is expected to come with the system with valley rain and mountain snow. A band of precipitation is expected with the frontal passage mid-morning Saturday through Saturday night as the front drops in from the north, according to the weather service.
Periods of light to moderate rainfall will possible for western Nevada valleys with 1 to 2 inches of snowfall possible across Sierra passes Saturday night into early Sunday morning as snow levels crash to around 5,000 to 6,000 feet. Only an inch or two of snowfall can still result in travel hazards and slow downs across the passes. Be sure to check with NDOT and Caltrans for the latest road conditions.
Along with the changes will be much cooler conditions that will arrive with the front with temperatures plummeting 15 to 25 degrees over the weekend. Widespread freezes are possible (80 percent chance) across all western Nevada valleys Saturday night into Sunday morning with Sierra valleys plummeting into the teens and 20s overnight.
After the weekend system there will be a couple of drier days with lighter winds and temperatures rebounding into the upper 50s to mid 60s early next week. Then another weather system is possible by the middle of next week, bringing some increase in winds and another chance for showers.
Check back for updates.