With the Sierra slammed with several feet of snow, wind and snow are expected to arrive to the valley floors later this Christmas day afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Winter Storm Warning now through Saturday night for much of western Nevada. As for Lake Tahoe and Sierra, the Winter Storm Warning continues through Tuesday morning.
For the grater Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley areas, heavy snow is expected with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches anticipated and anywhere from 4 to 8 inches above 5,000 feet. It will be windy too, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph, according to the weather service.
NWS forecasters say with near certainty that snow will arrive later in the day Saturday. The weather service advises that travel in the lower valleys could be very difficult due to snow and strong, gusty winds.
Check the latest road conditions with Caltrans and NDOT. For Carson City area updates see CarsonWeather.com. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 511 for Nevada and 1-800-427-7623 for California. Monitor the latest weather forecast at weather.gov/reno and check road conditions routinely.
The weather service advises people should avoid travel as much as possible and be prepared to wait. If traveling, motorists should prepare for long delays and carry an emergency kit with extra food, water and clothing. If staying at home, NWS says people should have a backup plan in case of power outages.
Go here or read below the latest storm discussion from National Weather Service forecasters.
Active weather continues with widespread travel impacts across the Sierra and western Nevada. With snow levels down to all valley floors, storm systems will have the ability to bring snow to all areas. The windiest day looks to be Sunday, with widespread high profile vehicle and aviation impacts. Blowing snow will also be of concern. Very frigid air moves into the area to close out the year.
Saturday, Christmas Day
Snow, of course we are all hoping for a white Christmas, and it may just happen for some of us across western Nevada (California communities are locked in, obviously). Winter Storm Warnings still remain in effect and appear on track for the Sierra and far western portions of NV. Intermittent snow showers will continue through the remainder of the morning hours, with limited spillover south of Cold Springs at the NV/CA border.
Radar trends and high resolution CAMs concur with moderate/heavy snowfall rates along I-80 northward through Plumas county and light/moderate snow extending north and northeast into Lassen, central/northern Washoe, and periodically Pershing county. The highest snowfall totals through noon (outside of the Sierra and west of 395 in NE CA) will be north and west of a Gerlach/Stead line.
Snowfall will work its way generally south through the day with a greater shot of spillover into the Reno, Carson City and Minden areas during mid-late afternoon as the cold front slowly moves through. Remember though, light showers will be possible any time during the day, so use caution if driving to the in-laws today.
Strong gusty winds will continue today. In fact, there isn’t much to suggest things won’t stay windy through the weekend. However, for today we are looking at Sierra ridges still cranking to around 100 mph with frequent gusts to 35-45 mph across Highway 395 in NV, perhaps approaching 50 mph in Mono County. Farther east where less precipitation will allow for even higher wind gusts and no current winter weather product exists, Wind Advisory thresholds look to be reached. Particularly along Highway 95 and SR359 approaching Hawthorne from the south.
Sunday
We may see a break in the snowfall on Sunday before the next shortwave trough digs south into our area Sunday night into Monday. Some upslope showers will remain possible through the Sierra, but these should be light, relatively speaking. Travel impacts may remain with slick roads, however. The main focus will be the winds, which is partly correlated to the lack of spillover precipitation during this time. Low-level omega fields show impressive subsidence on the lee side of the Sierra and Carson Range, suggesting very efficient transport of winds aloft.
Statistical guidance shows roughly a 40% chance of >56kt wind gusts in Reno, and about an 80% chance along Hwy 395 in Washoe Valley. A 30-40% chance along 395 north of Doyle, CA and 50-60% across the Surprise Valley. Wouldn’t be surprised to see wind gusts in excess of 70 mph in wind prone areas. Expect major aviation and high profile vehicle impacts through at least the overnight hours into Monday morning. Blowing snow will also be of concern, restricting visibilities.
Monday and Beyond
Monday looks to be another day for snow. Mother Nature continues her deposit of snowfall on the Sierra and western Nevada as we begin to wrap up 2021. Snow levels will not be an issue here. Another 1 to 2 feet (perhaps slightly more along the crest) in the Sierra and at Lake Tahoe level, half a foot in the foothills, with a few inches in the valleys. Perhaps the best shot of accumulating snow across our eastern counties will occur during this time. Keep an eye on the forecast as the Monday commutes could get interesting.
Boy it looks to be chilly next week with daily highs struggling to climb above freezing Monday through at least Thursday. Good for the snow pack? Yep. Good for sun bathing? Nope. Especially across locations that manage to clear out, winds subside, and with snow on the ground, we may see lows plummet to below zero for a good amount of locations. Widespread single digits at least.
Make sure vulnerable members of the community are looked after, and be sure to bring your pets inside. Several additional rounds of winter weather look possible too throughout the week as we wrap up an active December. The details of these systems will be fine tuned once we get past this weekend, but for now just keep in the back of your mind that we will remain active (and cold) heading into 2022. Merry Christmas from NWS Reno.
