Weather Service: Snow may be on its way to Carson City by Christmas Day
National Weather Service forecasters said today there's a better chance of a weather system arriving Christmas Eve night that could bring snow to the valley floors by early Christmas morning.
A strong cold front will move through northern California and western Nevada. Lower elevation rain and snow is expected to break out on Christmas Eve, with any rain turning over quickly to snow as the cold front moves through overnight into Christmas morning, according to the weather service.
For western Nevada up to 3 inches of snow is possible by Christmas morning with the higher amounts most likely above 5,000 feet, according to the weather service. As of Monday, the weather service forecast for Carson City calls for a 60 percent chance of rain and snow on Wednesday night and a 20 percent chance of snow Christmas Day.
For northeast California and the northern Sierra, 2 to 6 inches of snow is possible by Thursday/Christmas morning. Higher snowfall amounts are possible depending on the track of the low pressure system, especially north of Highway 50, although the confidence in this remains low.
Travel restrictions are likely for Sierra passes and around Tahoe as snow accumulates on road surfaces. For road conditions call 1-800-427-7623 for California and 1-877-NV-Roads for Nevada. You can also check road conditions online for Nevada and California.