A band of rain showers is moving through northern California and approaching the King Fire Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Some light rain and higher humidity will likely decrease fire activity, meaning much less smoke, if any, will pass east of the Sierra Crest.
Carson City will be breezy with isolated showers today with a chance of showers through the weekend. There is a Red Flag warning in effect through 8 p.m. Thursday night for Mono and Eastern Alpine counties and West Central Mineral and southern Lyon counties, according to the weather service. In the Red Flag zone, winds will be from the southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph and up to 50 in wind prone areas of Mono County near Walker Lake.
As of 9:30 a.m. Carson City was not in the Red Flag warning zone, though it will be breezy. Isolated showers, about a 20 percent chance, may happened after 11 a.m. Otherwise Thursday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon, according to the weather service.
The humidity is expected to increase through the rest of the day in Carson City, which will moderate concerns associated with Red Flag weather, said Weather Service Meteorologist Edan Weishahn.
“Smoke levels are expected to tentatively go down through the weekend and because containment efforts are improving, the likelihood is the smoke will not reach the area,” she said.
Showers will advance into Friday through the weekend, with a 40 percent chance of rain Saturday and Saturday night.
Because of the smoke from the King Fire and this weekend with Street Vibrations, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office is urging motorists and motorcycle riders be especially cautious because of the weather conditions.
Street Vibrations has arrived and traffic congestion is expected to be high as thousands of motorcycle enthusiast take to the roadways. The week may prove even more challenging as smoke from the King Fire and possible rain may hamper riders and drivers alike, said Carson City Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott McDaniel.
This means that, at times, visibility could be limited and the roadways possibly slick. Riders are urged to be extra cautious when riding in the Carson City area especially in areas where special events are being held as traffic will be heavy.
Drivers are urged to pay closer attention to motorcyclists as some riders may not be familiar with city streets and may be driving slower than the posted speed limit or make unexpected lane changes and turns. Many of the recreational riders will be in groups and as such, they will try and stay as close together as possible so that they all arrive safely, said McDaniel.
