Sierra snow, valley rain ahead in weather systems arriving to region
A wet weather pattern will bring snow to the Sierra and rain to the western valleys and Carson City beginning Wednesday and persist into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The first of two storms will arrive late Wednesday afternoon and persist into Thursday morning. Snow amounts of 10 to 18 inches near the crest, 3 to 8 inches at Lake Tahoe level, and 2 to 4 inches along Highway 395 in Mono County will result in slick and hazardous road conditions. For lower valley floors, rain is expected and impacts will be minimal, according to the weather service.
The graphic above shows snow amounts for this first system with the dark blue and purple colors representing the heavier snowfall.
The weather service isn't quite as confident as to precipitation amounts with the second system due late Friday into Saturday as the track has shifted a bit southward over the past couple of days.
While some snow will impact the Tahoe Basin, the heavier snowfall is likely to affect areas further south into Mono County where a another foot or more of snow will be possible along the Sierra crest. Motorists should prepare for chain and snow tire controls as well as delays on highways leading through the Sierra late Wednesday into the weekend.
For travel information go here or call 511/1-877-NV-ROADS. For weather information for the Carson City region go to www.CarsonWeather.com.