Carson City area weather: Inversion layer to lift by midweek, warming through holiday weekend
The inversion that has settled over the Carson City area for several days is expected to lift, bringing warming to above-average temperatures for the holiday weekend, according to the National Weather Service. A more active pattern, however, may return the week between Christmas and the New Year.
Clouds moving into the region signal a coming change in the pattern, offering an opportunity to see some improvement in the visibility and air quality over many western Nevada valleys, according to National Weather Service forecasters.
An uptick in winds into Tuesday look to allow some mixing to take place, while the blanket of higher clouds will work to limit overnight radiational cooling. Gusts for Tuesday could approach 50 mph for the Sierra ridges.
The shortwave activity moving in early Tuesday will offer little in the way of precipitation, but might produce some flurries in higher elevations, forecasters said. Models hint at up to a 35 percent chance for up to 0.5 inch of snow accumulation for the highest peaks for Tuesday.
Ahead of the holiday weekend, after the shortwave activity passes, high pressure takes control again Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday, though there is potential for another weak shortwave for late Thursday into Friday, but forecasters say the impacts will be limited to breezy Sierra ridges and some possible light flurries for northern Sierra areas.
Behind the small disturbance on Friday things quiet down again. This translates into some slight warming, provided the inversions are successfully mixed out with Tuesday through Thursday's upper level activity.
Dry travel conditions anticipated across the region through the holiday weekend. Temperatures could climb into the low 50s for western Nevada valleys, while Sierra locations see mid to upper 40s over the holidays.
In the long term, forecast models show a potential for a return to an active weather pattern leading into the new year. Models show a plume of moisture associated with an atmospheric river that could reach the Pacific coast as early as the holiday weekend. However, inland changes would make impacts Monday.
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