Wind advisory prompts NV Energy to monitor for potential outages from Carson City to Carson Valley
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 12/05/2023 - 6:53pm
Gusty winds expected Wednesday prompted the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory for the Carson City area and surrounding counties from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Due to the potential for high winds in fire risk areas that extend along the western foothills between Carson City, Genoa and Gardnerville, NV Energy may shut off power in the event of a potential wind event that could interfere with power lines.
The practice is known technically as Public Safety Outage Management. On its social media page Tuesday evening, NV Energy says the following:
"Due to expected high winds, a Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) warning is now in effect for the PSOM zone of Carson-Genoa on Wednesday, Dec. 6. During a proactive outage event, NV Energy will de-energize power for customers in high-risk zones to help protect the community and environment from wildfires."
The NWS forecast says southwest winds will be from 20 mph to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Localized gusts to 60-70 mph in wind prone areas along US-395 and I-580 are possible in the greater Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley areas.
Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and possibly cause tree limbs to break. NWS forecasters say encourage people to secure loose outdoor items such as patio furniture, holiday decorations, and trash cans before winds increase that could blow these items away.
The best thing to do is prepare ahead of time by making sure you have extra food and water on hand, flashlights with spare batteries and/or candles in the event of a power outage, according to the weather service.
The weather service says beside strong gusty winds, Sierra snow and valley rain is possible with travel and recreation impacts likely.
The following is from a forecast discussion issued Tuesday afternoon from the National Weather Service. The forecast will be updated again early Wednesday.
As we wake up for Wednesday, make sure to prepare for changing conditions throughout the day. We will see winds kicking up, first along the ridges and then mixing down to valley floors by early afternoon. Ridges could see gusts approaching 100+mph, while wind prone locations such as US-395/I-580 may get into 45-60 mph gusts and valleys may see 30-45 mph gusts. Impacts to expect from this event can include high-profile vehicle issues, choppy lakes, and aviation turbulence. Wind Advisories and a Lake Wind Advisory for Lake Tahoe will be in effect as of 10 AM Wednesday.
Showers will begin to filter in from the northwest, so areas of NE California will be first in line for the moisture this system is offering. The precipitation type will mostly be rain to start, since snow levels will be around 6500-7000 feet in NE California, but will continue to change over to rain/snow mix and eventually over to all snow Wednesday night into Thursday. South of I-80 will begin to pick up moisture before the afternoon arrives as the bulk of the moisture will finally settle into the Reno-Carson-Minden area.
Winds will still be howling, so Wednesday night could be a rather unpleasant evening. Snow levels will tumble to valley floors by Thursday morning's commute, so plan to grab a some winter clothing, leave early and keep a safe driving distance.
Precipitation type for Thursday should be mostly snow with isolated areas seeing a rain and snow mix. Despite all this talk about showers and snow, amounts will be not be too impressive. Valley floors may only see a bit of wet pavement and some snow could accumulate on elevated surfaces. By and large, the majority of the liquid totals will be found along and west of the Sierra west of US-395.
So just how much precipitation and where? Things have trended up a touch from the overnight shift, so we have some updated totals. Snow totals will be greatest along and west of the Sierra crest. Donner Pass could see as much as 6-8 inches through Thursday, but the chances at 15-25 percent.
With the rain changing over to snow late Wednesday night when the majority of the moisture is moving in we could see those totals, but the snow will have to overcome the relatively warm ground to stick to the roadways. So expect wet roads that may accumulate slick slushy conditions into Thursday morning.
Lake Tahoe Basin still checks in with 1-3 inches (10-25 percent chance) so even though the liquid totals crept up slightly, this area keeps it's forecast for now. For those liquid totals, along and west of the crest is the area to watch for the highest amounts. For those of us on the eastern side, along and west of US-395 may see 0.25-0.50 inches, a 40 to 50 percent chance, while to the east of US-395 may only see 0.10 inches, a 40 to 50 percent chance.
