Mountain snow, gusty winds and valley rain will move into Carson City and surrounding counties Wednesday with more potent storm systems later this week, according to the National Weather Service.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday for Carson City and surrounding counties.
Winds from south to southwest will be 25-35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. Wind prone areas may experience higher gusts. The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them.
NWS forecasters advise to avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting or campfires.
Meanwhile, NV Energy has issued a Public Safety Outage Management event warning Wednesday, Nov. 20 starting at approximately 6 a.m. and lasting well into Thursday, Nov. 21 for southern Carson City, Genoa, Glenbrook at Lake Tahoe, Washoe Valley, Virginia City Highlands, southwest Reno and Verdi. The warning means that the utility is likely to shut off power to these locations.
In Carson City, NV Energy’s forced power outage has closed Bordewich Bray, Carson Middle and Student Support Services. All other schools in the Carson City School District have power and remain open.
NWS forecasters advise in the latest forecast discussion that the rest of the week will shape up to be fairly wet with valley rain and high Sierra snow. Gusty winds picked up overnight and have extended into Wednesday morning.
At this time (and the forecast may change) for Carson City and surrounding counties in the lower valleys, there’s a 50 to 60 percent chance of rain and even snow showers with breezy conditions Wednesday. For Thursday, there’s a 40 percent chance of rain and a 60 percent chance of rain Friday.
For the Lake Tahoe Basin, rain and snow is expected late Tuesday into Wednesday, With a 60 percent chance for a half-inch of snow Wednesday. Snow levels will climb Thursday to 8,600 feet. By Friday, rain showers and high elevation snow is expected to continue and extend through the weekend.
This is all due to an atmospheric river making landfall along the northern California coast that will create heavy rain and will drive weather impacts this week, forecasters note in the forecast discussion.
The initial wave of moisture arrives Wednesday into Thursday with enough to warrant a Winter Storm Warning for the west slope of the Sierra and portions of northern California overnight into Wednesday.
Then with the next storm Friday into Saturday there will be a jump in the projected liquid storm totals with 2.5-3.0 inches for the Sierra crest, 0.75-1.00 inch for the foothills, and 0.10 to 0.75 from the Basin and Range into far western Nevada, forecasters said.
This can mean at least two feet of heavy snow along the Sierra crest at the highest levels, said Amanda Young, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Reno. For now, it looks to be rain at lower elevations and heavy snow in the higher elevations, above the passes.
Young also cautions that “there’s variability in terms of snow levels, so expect the unexpected.”
Forecaster confidence is medium to high for precipitation totals across the region, with potential for higher liquid totals in stronger shower activity, according to the forecast discussion.
Because there are unknowns temperature wise associated with the system, there’s a lower confidence factor in snow levels. With the initial wave pushing in on Wednesday, the snow levels will start low (near 5,000 feet), but then are projected to rapidly climb (near 9,000 feet) late Wednesday with the arrival of the mild, subtropical moisture associated with the AR, forecasters said.
Following that initial rise in the snow levels, models shows them holding rather steady around 7,000 to 7,500 feet for much of the next wave from Friday through Sunday. Initial projections show the potential for 1-2 feet of wet, heavy Sierra cement for areas above 7,000 feet this weekend with this storm.
See NVroads.com for the latest travel updates.
