Series of winter storms to hit Carson City region starting Saturday
The recent quiet weather will come to a rapid halt on Saturday with the first in a series of typical winter storms to hit the greater Carson City, Reno and Lake Tahoe areas, the National Weather Service in Reno said in a special weather statement.
Saturday's storm will bring significant travel impacts due to rapid onset of snow and wind to the Sierra, lingering into early Sunday morning.
Strong, gusty south winds will impact lower elevations of Western Nevada, including around Carson City and Reno on Saturday. A short period of snow is possible for lower elevations late Saturday afternoon or evening, but confidence remains mixed.
The daytime high temperature in Carson City is forecast to reach 43 degrees on Saturday with an increasing 60-70 percent chance of precipitation through the evening before dropping to 30-40 percent overnight into Sunday. One to two inches of accumulation is possible Saturday.
Highs for the area Sunday are forecast to be in the upper 30s and lows in the mid-30s with less than a half-inch of accumulation forecast.
The next storm Sunday into Monday is projected to bring stronger winds to the region with more widespread travel impacts. A period of snow will again return to the Sierra, with most of that confined to near the crest and westward.
Daytime temperatures in valley areas are expected to warm considerably into the low 50s Monday and Tuesday with only a slight chance of precipitation.
A third storm may occur late Tuesday into Wednesday. This storm looks warmer with pass-level snow, rain or snow for mountain communities, and mainly rain for lower elevations along with strong gusty winds. There's less confidence with this scenario since we're still 5-6 days out.
Anyone with travel plans this weekend and anytime next week should keep a close eye on the weather. Snow and wind impacts are likely at times, which can prolong travel considerably.