weather service

The warm temperatures and nice fall weather we've enjoyed over the past week may come to an end later this weekend. A storm is brewing in the Pacific and may reach Western Nevada and the Sierra by late Sunday.

The cold front is expected to develop in the region by Sunday afternoon, with rain and gusty winds expected in Carson City and the Carson Valley with snow levels dropping to around 7,000 feet in the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to the National Weather Service in Reno and carsonweather.com.

Driving wind that snapped tree limbs and caused power glitches earlier today turned to heavy rain earlier tonight with gusty winds, that prompted the National Weather Service in Reno to issue flood and high wind warnings for the Carson City region. Both have since expired.

For the latest weather radar reports and updates go to www.carsonweather.com. At 4:14 this afternoon the National Weather Service in Reno issued the flood warning for Carson City and much of the region. Carson City has received about an inch and half of rain since the storm began this morning.

Here's a video by Scott Schrantz at aroundcarson.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVgsXfVWbSQ&feature=youtu.be&hd=1

According to dispatch earlier today, law officers, fire crews as well as public works at the scene of a downed power line in West Carson City were told to keep their hard hats on because of flying debris.

Meanwhile dispatch reports localized flooding tonight throughout the city, especially in low-lying areas. Leaf and tree limb-clogged drainages along city streets appear to be the main problem. High winds picked up at about 9:30 tonight after a brief period of calm.

Two readers in the Century Circle area report large trees toppled in their neighborhood.

An apple tree came down on a vehicle and possibly hit a person on Century Circle, the reader reports. Also on Century Circle near Airport Road, another reader reports at 11:30 that a toppled tree took down a fence and covers the street and a vehicle.

Dispatchers received a call at about 9:30 of a tree limb blocking the road at Thompson and San Marcus streets.

At 7:55 tonight a transformer reportedly was blown in the 200 block of South Richmond near Annapolis in Carson City. Power was apparently out in the neighborhood and flames were reportedly seen.

Saliman Road was closed at 7:20 tonight extending from Fifth Street to Fairview because of flooding. Elsewhere, a home has reportedly been flooded in the 500 block of Ruby Lane.

Heavy wind and rain is expected with a front moving into the Carson City region tonight. Go to www.CarsonWeather.com for the latest, including a wind warning put out by the National Weather Service.
Rain in the valley and snow in the Sierra is expected to build later tonight and into Sunday morning.

Carson City may get at least a quarter to a half inch of rain with a weather system that will make its way through the region beginning Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Reno and carsonweather.com.

Significant rainfall is expected with the system that is now making its way through the central and southern California coast and heading east.

Carson City and portions of Western Nevada could see heavy rain by the end of the weekend, the National Weather Service in Reno reports.

A weather system should move through central California into the southern Sierra on Sunday night into Monday morning bringing "abundant moisture" for the region, including snow in the Sierra above 8,000 feet.

A reader emailed that Doppler radar had picked up the signature of a tornado in Washoe Valley last night at about 7:30 p.m. Being originally from Kansas and enduring years of Wizard of Oz jokes, of course I was interested. Here is the video he sent of the radar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSVkhjh3ck

Update: We received the following from Shane Snyder from the National Weather Service:

Carsonweather.com reports the National Weather Service in Reno has issued a flood advisory through 8:45 tonight for Carson City, Northwestern Douglas County, West Lyon County and Southern Storey County including Virginia City.

Rain and much cooler temperatures have descended over the region.
Storm totals on Sunday afternoon in Carson City were at .17", with significant chance of more through at least midweek.
This rain event broke a rather lengthy dry spell of 54 days without precipitation.

From a Special Weather Statement issued by the National Weather Service at 3:14pm on Sunday:

After a pleasant week of unseasonably warm temperatures, it looks like autumn is on its way to the Carson City region and the Sierra.
From the National Weather Service on Friday afternoon:

The weekend's unseasonably cool weather will leave the Carson City and Lake Tahoe region overnight with a brisk punch instead of a whimper.
Low temperatures with patchy fog are expected through Monday morning, according to Carsonweather.com and the National Weather Service.

A Red Flag warning has been issued by the National Weather Service ahead of a low pressure system moving into Northern Nevada and the eastern Sierra on Saturday which will cause gusty winds and low humidity.
The combination will make for critical fire conditions for Carson City and the surrounding areas, according to carsonweather.com and the weather service.

A Red Flag warning issued by the National Weather Service in Reno is in effect through 11 tonight for the Carson City region.
A Red Flag warning means critical fire conditions, such as gusty winds and low humidity, will occur. According to www.carsonweather.com, low pressure over the eastern Pacific will move into the region today. This will bring with it winds and very dry air to the Sierra and northwest Nevada.
The combination of gusty winds and low humidity could create the potentil for critical fire weather conditions, the weather service said.

By Taylor Flynn / Tahoe Mountain News

While the Carson City area was spared the brunt of significant rainfall on Sunday, other places such as Lake Tahoe and Virginia City were not. Heavy rain and quarter-size hail pummeled parts of South Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay on Sunday afternoon as the National Weather Service tracked a large thunderstorm in the area issuing a severe weather warning around 4 p.m. and advising boaters to get off the lake.
   

A flash flood watch has been issued today for the Carson City, Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe and Reno areas, according to the National Weather Service and www.carsonweather.com.

The watch will be from 1 p.m. through this evening. Scattered thunderstorms with very little movement may produce heavy rain today for the Carson City region. According to the Reno-based weather service, the strongest storms may produce rainfall rates of over one inch per hour with a strong potential for flash flooding.

Gusty winds and low humidity expected for Carson City and much of Northern Nevada this afternoon has prompted the National Weather Service in Reno to issue a Red Flag fire weather warning.
Low pressure expected through Saturday will bring increasing afternoon and evening winds that will produce very dry, fire-prone weather conditions, the weather service states.

Pea and marble-sized hail fell on Carson City shortly before 5 this afternoon. The weather pattern should continue through this evening, according to www.carsonweather.com and the National Weather Service in Reno.
According to the weather service, thunderstorms will produce abundant dry lightning for the lower elevations of northeastern California and western Nevada. Thunderstorms may have some moderate to locally heavy rain in the cores but fast storm motions will provide abundant dry lightning strikes on storm peripheries and the threat of numerous new fire starts.

The National Weather Service reports that a low pressure system near the California coast could produce thunderstorms again in the Carson City and Tahoe region today similar to those on Saturday and Sunday. Lighting and gusty winds can be expected with the storms if they indeed generate.

The National Weather Service in Reno is tracking a band of strong thunderstorms heading toward Carson City and the Carson Range from the south this evening.
The west side of the Carson range can expect lightning, moderate rainfall amounts of around a half inch per hour, reducing visibility to less than three miles and strong gusty winds of around 40 to 50 mph, according to the weather service.
Areas mostly likely to be affected include Genoa, Spooner Summit, Lakeview and the Washoe Lake areas, as well as Glenbrook, Incline Village and the Mount Rose summit.

A flash flood warning issued for Carson City has expired but continues through 6:15 p.m. in central Douglas County, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. Rain and heavy winds have punched the region, with reports of power outages in east and west Carson City.

In addition, the westbound lane of Highway 50 going up to Spooner Summit is closed, with Nevada Highway Patrol diverting traffic. No word yet on the cause for the closure.

A power line snapped and a transformer is down in the area of Spear and Nevada streets near Division. Carson City fire crews and the Carson City Sheriff's Office closed portions of traffic in the area. The downed power lines did not arc and were not live on the ground, according to fire personnel on the scene.

Low humidity and a threat of dry thunderstorms has prompted the National Weather Service in Reno to issue a Red Flag warning through 6 p.m. Sunday for the Carson City region. Go to and bookmark www.carsonweather.com for the latest.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions will occur. The affected areas are: Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Eastern Lyon counties; Mineral and southern Lyon counties; northern Washoe county.

A Red Flag warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the Carson City and Douglas County region through 9 p.m. on Sunday. Go to and bookmark www.carsonweather.com for the latest.
The warning went into effect at around 3 this afternoon because of gusty winds and low humidity. Earlier today, a small brush fire was reported at the Carson Rifle and Pistol Range, located at 4000 Flint Road. The fire was extinguished.

A flash flood watch has been issued for the Carson City region by the National Weather Service. Go to www.carsonweather.com for the latest.
A flash flood watch means that flooding of small streams, creeks and other drainage areas is possible within the watch area. People in the watch area be prepared for immediate action should heavy rains and flooding occur or a flash flood warning be issued.

It looks like summer is here in force. Carson City (as reported by CarsonWeather.com) topped out at 98.3 today, while the National Weather Service in Reno hit the century mark- 100 degrees at 5pm.
Look for more of the same through the weekend - HOT. After some clouds and a slight chance of rain on Friday, we should continue our summer pattern of 60's in the morning and 90's in the afternoon.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a red flag fire weather warning for the Carson City region. A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions will occur. The warning was issued at 1:53 this afternoon and will expire at 9 p.m. on Monday. For the very latest go to and bookmark www.carsonweather.com.

With dry thunderstorms expected to roll into the region by Wednesday, a Fire Weather Watch was issued at 5:44 this morning for Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe and eastern Lyon counties. A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are possible. Go to www.carsonweather.com for the latest.

It's snowing again in Carson City tonight, looking more like March 22 than May 22. Unfortunately for all of you gardeners out there the freezing temperatures and snow showers puts your plants and flowers at risk.

The National Weather Service in Reno and www.carsonweather.com reports freezing temperatures and snow showers will remain tonight that may produce slick roads across the region. The goods news is that there shouldn't be significant amounts. Significant meaning more than 2 inches.

CARSON CITY — An evacuation and sheltering exercise for the residents of the Old Clear Creek Road subdivision will be from noon to 4 p.m. on May 2, Carson City Fire Department officials announced today.

The evacuation drill in the southwest part of Carson City is being carried out in conjunction with Nevada’s 5th Annual Wildfire Awareness Week. The intention is to remind residents and homeowners that the area is within a wildland fire environment and therefore all are encouraged to protect their homes and community from embers that can attack dry brush and trees during a wildfire.

The Carson City Shade Tree Council will be hosting its annual Arbor Day Celebration on April 30, 2010. The celebration will be held in the park across from the State Library on the corner of Stewart and Musser Streets and will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is scheduled to last an hour.

Strong, damaging winds are expected for the region tonight into Tuesday. For the latest Carson City weather information go to and bookmark: www.carsonweather.com.

Message summary from the National Weather Service, Reno:
Significant winter storm headed for the sierra Friday and Friday night…