Carson City area weather: Chance of valley rain, Sierra snow later this week
The mild and dry conditions around Carson City, Lake Tahoe and surrounding counties may take a turn later this week, bringing periods of mountain snow and valley rain to the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters note there is the potential of travel impacts through Sierra passes, especially in Mono County where heavy snow is possible.
As of Monday afternoon, forecasters say they are monitoring the potential for unsettled weather later in the week, which hinges on the progression of a Pacific low pressure system.
The first chance of showers may be Tuesday morning as an eastern system sneaks into Lassen and northern Washoe County, NWS forecasters said. Rainfall totals will be light with this round as a few hundredths of an inch is expected.
The next chance of precipitation will be late Wednesday into Thursday, providing snow in the Sierra from the Lake Tahoe Basin south to Mono County and light rainfall to western Nevada.
After a brief lull on Thursday, chances of precipitation increase once again Friday into Saturday. Snow levels will remain quite high, only falling to near 6,000 feet over the next week, forecasters said.
Once its all said and done, blended weather models paint most of the Sierra having a sub-20 percent chance of receiving 6 inches of snowfall with the exception of areas above 7,500 to 8,000 feet in Mono County.
In an extreme scenario, these areas have a 20 to 30 percent chance of receiving a foot or more of total snowfall. Meanwhile, lower elevation areas will receive less than 0.25 of an inch of rainfall through Sunday aside from the mid slopes of the Sierra.
While there are still uncertainties regarding this week's forecast, there is high confidence of mountain snowfall and valley rain from the middle of the week into the weekend. As of Monday afternoon there have not been any winter weather watches issued.
NWS forecasters advise people should be prepared for impacts to outdoor activities and expect the potential for travel delays through the Sierra passes, especially in Mono County. See NVroads.com for road conditions.
Active weather may carry over into Thanksgiving week, but there is still much disagreement among weather models at this point, NWS forecasters said. Check back for updates.