Carson City area weather: Clouds, sunshine and potential for wetter systems on the horizon
The first day of November around the Carson City region will bring widespread clouds and cooling to the area with a slight chance of light showers resulting from a weak system, according to the National Weather Service. The weather pattern is looking more active next week with increased chances for wetter storm systems.
For Monday there's a 20 percent chance of showers for the Carson City area and a 30 percent chance at Lake Tahoe, with the snow level from 7,700 feet to 8,400 feet, according to the weather service.
Snow levels are projected to remain near or above 8,000 feet, and travel impacts look minimal on the higher Sierra passes due to most of the precipitation occurring during the daytime, according to the weather service. The system will bring an increase in ridge level winds with gusts 50-65 mph through Monday night, but the thick cloud cover will limit the amount of winds mixing down to lower elevations, forecasters said.
The following is a forecast discussion on Monday morning from the National Weather Service. Go here to read the full discussion.
Thursday through the weekend
Another quick moving shortwave trough is expected to move through the region on Thursday and will provide the next round of light to moderate rainfall and high elevation snow.
This system will move through beginning Thursday morning across the Sierra with precipitation tapering off by the evening. Snow levels will run high (9,000 feet) during the peak precipitation period before lowering to near Sierra pass levels late Thursday afternoon. By this time, the bulk of the precipitation will have moved through so only the highest passes could see an inch or so of snow accumulation. However, a rain/snow mix is possible across most Sierra passes by Thursday afternoon which may still make for wet and slick conditions through the evening hours.
While the bulk of the precipitation with this storm will remain along the west Sierra slopes and along the crest, areas in the Tahoe Basin could pick up 0.25-0.50" of rainfall with up to 0.75" along the crest. Lesser amounts, around 0.10" are expected across the Sierra in Mono County, and a trace to a few hundredths possible for western Nevada. This system will kick up winds again with gusts of 30-35 mph possible through valleys and 70+ mph for upper ridge lines.
The pattern remains progressive for next weekend and into the second week of November with additional systems attempting to push inland. While no single storm stands out as particularly strong, the cumulative pattern of light to moderate precipitation should yield a continued pattern of wetter than average conditions with seasonably cool and cloudy skies continuing.
As for temperatures this week around the greater Carson City area, daytime highs through Thursday will be in the low to mid-60s with nighttime lows in the mid-30s. For the Lake Tahoe Basin, highs will be in the low to mid 50s through Wednesday, upper 40s on Thursday and a high near 50 on Friday.