Dry and mild conditions will prevail ahead of a cold front that will bring colder temperatures and increased winds to the Carson City area for the first few days of February but without any chance of much-needed rain and snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters say dry weather will persist with a blocking ridge deflecting the storm track for the Sierra and western Nevada for the foreseeable future.
Go here or read below the latest National Weather Service discussion and forecast for the next few days.
High clouds will be on the increase Sunday night into Monday morning as a shortwave trough swings across the Pacific Northwest. This will increase westerly Sierra ridgetop gusts to 50-60 mph through mid-morning Monday. This could yield areas of light to moderate turbulence for aviation as well as potential outdoor recreation impacts in the Sierra.
Tuesday and Wednesday: Changes Expected but Remaining Dry
A dry backdoor cold front is poised to usher in colder temperatures, north-northeast valley winds, and gusty east winds along the Sierra crest Tuesday night into Wednesday.
While winds will begin to shift northerly in the valleys as early as Monday afternoon, the bulk of the colder air arrives early Tuesday morning. Temperature drops as much as 10 to 15 degrees by Tuesday afternoon with lower 40s for western Nevada and low 30s for Sierra Valleys. Wednesday morning is looking to be quite chilly with sub-zero temperatures for colder Sierra Valleys and teens for western Nevada valleys.
Another ramp up in ridgetop winds is expected Tuesday night into Wednesday as the backside jet pushes south across the Sierra. This will again result in strong east wind gusts near 100 mph, mainly for locations right along the crest. Gusty winds will mainly be confined to the crest and along the west slopes of the Sierra.
Locations along the Carson Range will see gusty east winds as well but with lesser gusts, around 50-60 mph expected. Choppy conditions once again will be possible for Lake Tahoe on Wednesday. Gusty east winds will continue through Thursday evening with gusts around 50 mph remaining possible along the Sierra crest.
On a positive note, these winds should result in improved ventilation and valley mixing which should scour valleys of stagnant pollutants.
Remainder of the Week: Unfortunately Dry
An upper level ridge is expected to rebuild across the eastern Pacific for the remainder of the week. Unfortunately this sets up a blocking pattern preventing any meaning subtropical moisture from reaching the Western U.S.
Aside, from another round of potentially gusty east winds along the Sierra crest next weekend, we will maintain a rather quiet pattern with mild temperatures and dry weather. CPC outlooks do favor this dry pattern through at least the middle of February.
