Carson City area weather: Gusty winds expected to blow smoke out, but poses wildfire threat
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 8:53am
With gusty winds expected to arrive in the Carson City area, northern Sierra Front and Lake Tahoe region, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag fire weather warning Thursday afternoon through Friday evening.
Thursday morning continued to bring unhealthy air quality throughout Northern Nevada, including "hazardous" conditions in the Gardnerville, Carson Valley area and "unhealthy" conditions in the Carson City and Reno areas, according to an 8 a.m. airnow.org reading. A Dense Smoke Advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. Forecasters say the gusty winds should blow out much of the smoke that has been a constant for weeks, providing for some temporary relief.
The downside is with the wind, there is the threat of wildfire in the region. The Red Flag fire weather warning area includes Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Washoe and western Lyon counties in Nevada, the Lake Tahoe Basin and far southern Lassen, Eastern Sierra and eastern Nevada counties in California.
On Wednesday, NV Energy had announced measures in preparation of the gusty winds, warning customers in the Incline Village area of Lake Tahoe that the utility may cut off power to reduce the wildfire threat from power lines. On Thursday, however, NV Energy reversed plans and has cancelled any outage for Incline Village at this time.
According to forecasters, southwest winds are expected to shift to the west Thursday afternoon and into Friday. Sustained winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph are possible both days. Ridge winds up to 60 mph are expected during the afternoon hours each day. Winds in valleys should weaken late Thursday evening, while ridges may continue to gust to around 70 mph overnight into Friday morning.
Along with the wind, the humidity will be on the low side, 10 to 20 percent Thursday afternoon and 15 to 30 percent by Friday afternoon, according to the weather service.
The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them. The weather service advises people to avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires. Follow local fire restrictions. Check back for updates and livingwithfire.info for preparedness tips.
See CarsonWeather.com for local forecast updates and more.
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