Carson City area weather: Some mountain snow Wednesday then warming through end of month
The lower valleys of western Nevada, Carson City and surrounding counties have been mostly a miss for any significant rain or snow from passing winter storms. Even by Sierra standards, winter thus far has been lackluster at Lake Tahoe and nothing compared to January 2023 when the snow started falling and never really stopped until late spring.
Will a fast moving weather system bring valley rain and mountain snow showers Wednesday into early Thursday? Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have put it in their forecast. But don't expect anything significant for Carson City and the lower valleys; a trace of rain possibly, and a few inches of snow at Lake Tahoe.
The next round of precipitation is expected to reach the Sierra and northeast California and far northwest Nevada Wednesday morning, bringing a few hours of steady rain and mountain snow before transitioning to a more showery regime, National Weather Service forecasters said in its Tuesday forecast discussion.
Snow levels for Wednesday begin relatively low, around 5,000 feet, so light snow may initially fall in the Lake Tahoe Basin and foothills. Snow levels then rise during the day, ranging from 5,500 feet to 6,500 to 7,500 in the Sierra from Lake Tahoe southward.
"A trailing weak wave could bring one more push of snow showers back down to 5,000 to 6,000 feet late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning with patchy slick travel conditions for some Sierra roads and passes," forecasters note in the forecast discussion.
See NVroads.com or call 511 for the latest travel conditions.
The storm may produce snowfall amounts in the Sierra anywhere from 2 to 6 inches range, possibly up to 8 inches for the Sierra crest west of Tahoe southward to Mono County, with less than 2 inches for the remainder of the Tahoe basin and near the US-395 corridor in Mono County.
Rainfall amounts will be sparse and generally only trace to a few hundredths in far western Nevada, forecasters said. Wind will be mainly over the ridges where peak gusts of 60 to 80 mph. There will likely be limited winds in the lower valleys, NWS forecasters said.
After the midweek system leaves, a ridge of high pressure will begin to build over the western US with dry conditions, fewer clouds and near average temperatures prevailing Thursday and lasting through the end of January. Valley temperatures will be around 60 for most lower elevations and lower 50s for Sierra communities.
Wetter conditions may return for early February. Stay tuned and check back for updates.