Gusty winds, valley rain and mountain snow return to Carson City and surrounding counties Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Watch for Lake Tahoe and Sierra for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Winds will become gusty beginning Monday bringing a Lake Wind Advisory to the region. NWS forecasters says winds will be out of the southwest 20 mph to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
The advisory is for the greater Lake Tahoe, Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley areas and Mineral and southern Lyon counties. Impacted lakes include Tahoe, Washoe and Walker lakes. The advisory is from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday. NWS forecasters advise folks to check lake conditions before heading out and consider postponing boating activities on lakes until a day with less wind.
As far as valley winds, southwesterly gusts will increase Monday along Sierra ridges, and by late morning will begin to mix down to valleys, NWS forecasters said. Gusts of 30 mph to 40 mph are expected (60-90% chance) with some wind prone spots peaking at gusts of 60+ mph. These areas include I-580 along Washoe Lake and US-95 along Walker Lake and US-395 through Mono County in California.
Valley Rain, Sierra snow
The weather system will bring a chance of showers overnight, with the snow levels 7,900 feet and lowering to 7,200 feet. Showers are likely Tuesday with possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. Wind gusts in the valley could be as high as 30 mph, NWS forecasters said.
Rain will continue Tuesday evening, with a mix of snow showers possibly down to the valley floors. By Wednesday, there’s a 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11 a.m. The rest of the day, will be sunny with valley highs near 50.
Meanwhile, a Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Greater Lake Tahoe region and Mono County Tuesday morning through Wednesday. As for snow, the brunt will be along the Sierra crest, with a 50 percent chance of a foot at Donner Pass by Wednesday evening with a 20 percent chance of 18 inches, NWS forecasters said.
For the Lake Tahoe Basin, a light 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible, with the greater totals on the western shores. For example, Meeks Bay has a 70 percent chance for 4 inches of snow, while Zephyr Cove has only a 10-15 percent chance for 4 inches by Wednesday evening. Snow levels are expected to fall, but the precipitation timing (considering timing of intensity) seems to align best with the Tuesday snow levels of around 6,500-7,000 feet, according to the weather service.
See NVroads.com for the latest travel conditions. Check back for updates.
