Carson City area weather: Storm to bring gusty winds, valley rain and Sierra snow
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/08/2021 - 8:45am
UPDATE: A storm system forecasters say will be stronger than the one over the weekend but far less so than the atmospheric river-driven one last month, will push into the Carson City region late Monday into Tuesday, bringing valley rain, Sierra snow and gusty winds, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Wind Advisory for valley areas and a Winter Weather Advisory for the Lake Tahoe Basin.
The wind advisory is for the greater Reno area, Virginia City, Carson City, Carson Valley areas and into Mono County. It runs from 6 p.m. Monday night to 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Forecasters say winds will be from the southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph possible. Gusts near 70 mph possible in wind prone locations.
The weather service advises damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines and that travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. The weather service urges people to secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture, holiday decorations, and trash cans before winds increase which could blow these items away.
Winds will begin to increase Monday evening, peaking in intensity overnight and through daybreak Tuesday morning. Wind prone locations have a 50 percent chance for gusts to exceed 60 mph, according to the weather service.
Winds will remain breezy through the day Tuesday. Travel restrictions are possible for high profile vehicles, particularly along I-580/US-395. Other impacts include hazardous conditions on area lakes and potential for moderate to severe turbulence for aviation interests. It is time to secure or gather up items that may be tossed around.
Rain and snow will move into northeast California and the northern/central Sierra Monday evening, spreading south and east by Tuesday morning. Snow levels will start low enough for travel impacts throughout the mountains, but could rise overnight. The weather service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Lake Tahoe area from 4 p.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Snow expected. Total snow accumulations 8 to 20 inches above 7,000 feet, with up to 3 inches near lake level. The main travel impacts around the Tahoe Basin are likely through Monday evening, then over the passes overnight into Tuesday morning.
The weather service advises motorists to plan on slippery road conditions and poor visibility that could impact the Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes.
Winds gusting as high as 95 mph over exposed ridges on the Sierra Crest with gusts to 55 mph over passes. Snow levels will be highly variable with potential for areas of similar elevation to receive big differences in snow amounts, according to the weather service.
For Carson City and surrounding lower valley areas, rain is likely Tuesday with around a 70 percent chance, mainly before 10 a.m., according to the weather service. Daytime highs will be in the low 50s. Tuesday night there's a 30 percent chance of rain before 10 p.m. The snow level will start at around 7,300 feet land lower to 6,500 feet after midnight. Wednesday will be mostly sunny with highs in the mid 50s.
