Winter storm to bring periods of snow, gusty winds and slick roads to Sierra, Carson City region
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 12/13/2020 - 10:55am
A winter storm has begun to move through the Carson City region Sunday bringing snow to the Sierra and snowfall to the valley floors, according to the National Weather Service.
Though not expected to be a huge snow maker, some of the valley floors have already experienced a dusting of snow Sunday morning as the storm system began to move into the region. The thick of the storm is expected to bring periods of valley rain and snow throughout the day and snow accumulations in the Sierra.
Snow levels have dropped drop with this weather system and travel is expected to be difficult Sunday and Sunday night, especially in the Sierra where the weather service to issue a Winter Weather Advisory.
According to the weather service, snow levels will start off near valley floors but will be rising to between 5,000 and 6,500 feet during the afternoon. The main window to see snow impacts in the valleys will begin this evening as snow levels quickly drop to most valley floors behind a cold front.
For Lake Tahoe and the Sierra, expect possible total snow accumulation of 2 to 6 inches below 6,500 feet with 8 to 16 inches above 6,500 feet. Heaviest snowfall will be near and west of Highway 89, according to the weather service.
An inch or two of snowfall is possible for the lower elevations in the I-80 and Highway 50 corridors with about a 20 percent chance of seeing 2 to 4 inches for the North Valleys of Reno, Virginia City, and foothill areas. Up to 3 inches will be possible along Highway 395 communities through Mono County, with 3 to 8 inches in Mammoth Lakes.
The weather Service noted the Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton areas could see at least an inch of snow falling today and tonight. The amounts could increase as the weather system develops.
Snow is expected to taper quickly before daybreak Monday, but roads may remain slick and hazardous with potentially longer commute times on Monday morning.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect across the east side of the northern Sierra and northeast California through Monday morning. Travel impacts with chain or snow tire restrictions are likely with hazardous road conditions potentially continuing to impact the Monday morning commute.
This system will provide another round of gusty winds this afternoon with Sierra ridgetop winds increasing through the day with gusts between 70 and 100 mph by early afternoon. Although not a big wind producer, wind gusts will generally be in the 30-40 mph range.
Wind prone areas along Highway 395 through the North Valleys, Washoe Valley, Carson Valley, and Mono County could see localized higher gusts to around 50 mph.
While much of the snow will have ended by around 4 a.m. Monday, the Monday morning commute may be impacted depending on how fast roads can be cleared.
For travel information go to NVroads.com or call 1-877-NV-ROADS. See CarsonWeather.com for local weather updates.
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