Carson City area weather: Strong winds late Saturday, light snow in the Sierra
A strong cold front will blast through the Carson City, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra regions Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The front is expected to be mainly dry with only light snowfall accumulations in the Sierra at best. However, along and behind the front, blustery winds gusting 25-40 mph, possibly to 50 mph in the Lake Tahoe Basin, are expected with temperatures falling 10-20 degrees between Saturday and Sunday. Lake Tahoe is likely to be very rough for boaters.
Much stronger winds are expected for exposed areas along the Sierra crest and for spots westward in the high Sierra. Gusts over 100 mph are likely, with some tree damage possible.
The strong winds could bring severe turbulence for areas over the high Sierra and over the foothills west of the crest. Most locations below the ridgelines will see gusts around 35 to 45 mph across the Tahoe Basin and in western Nevada.
There could even be some potential for minor lake shore flooding early Monday morning along the west shore of Tahoe, depending on how much wind mixes down to lake level. At this point, gusts up to 45 mph should be expected for Tahoe.
Otherwise, temperatures Friday and Saturday around Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton areas will be in the upper 50s. The weather system will arrive late Saturday bringing a slight chance of rain or snow showers to the valleys. On Sunday, conditions will be partly sunny and breezy with highs in the low 40s.