A window of sunshine and clearing skies can be expected around Carson City and surrounding counties Saturday, with storms lined up for late Sunday into Monday and again Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
The colder, weaker storm will likely bring snow to Sierra passes and rain in the valleys late Sunday night into Monday, followed by a stronger and colder storm Wednesday into Thursday that could bring heavy Sierra snow and snow down to western Nevada valley floors, NWS forecasters said.
Sunday and Monday
A fast-moving system arrives late Sunday into Monday morning. This will start with 50-65 mph ridge gusts Sunday night, with snow levels around 7,000 to 8,000 feet. Snow levels will then fall to around 5,000 to 7,000 feet (lower over the northern Sierra, higher along Mono County), before falling to 5,000-5,500 feet by Monday night.
Carson Pass could see (75-95% chance) up to 6 inches of new snow, while Echo and Donner passes may see 2 inches 4 or less. The Lake Tahoe Basin may only see 1-2 inches of new snow. Western Nevada may see another decent rain total, with a 70-80% chance to see 0.1″ of rainfall. Plan on winter driving on Monday morning, especially across the Sierra.
Cold and clearing Tuesday
Cold morning start with teens in the Sierra and mid 20s in western Nevada. There may be some lingering snow showers in the Tahoe Basin. Tuesday afternoon will offer another brief Sierra traveling break, with winds and snow returning by Wednesday.
Stormy weather returns Wednesday and Thursday
A colder system is expected to arrive midweek, with exact timing still to be determined, NWS forecasters said, advising strong ridge winds will increase to around 70-plus mph Wednesday. Snow levels may drop to valley floors by Thursday, which may impact commutes for Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley.
Dry and cold Friday
The coldest air of the week looks to take aim for Thursday night into Friday morning. Showers may linger into Friday, but things look to dry out as we head into the weekend, NWS forecasters said.
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