Cold front brings sharp temperature drop to Carson City region, gusty winds at Lake Tahoe

While some areas of western Nevada have experienced freezing morning lows already, a strong Arctic cold front that will sweep over the Carson City and Sierra region now through Tuesday is expected to be a noticeable and chilly one indeed.

The mostly dry cold front is expected to bring sharply colder temperatures Sunday afternoon and evening along with gusty north to east winds producing areas of haze and blowing dust. Stronger winds will persist into Monday in the Sierra causing fire weather concerns there and prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag warning for the Lake Tahoe Basin and Sierra.

Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 30 to 35 mph. Higher gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible along mid slopes and wind-prone areas with gusts of 70+ mph along the Sierra Crest. Humidity is expected to will fall to 8-15 percent Monday.

The weather service advises 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 suggest people to avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires.

All locations can expect hard freezes Monday and Tuesday mornings, the weather service says. Milder temperatures return mid to late next week.

Temperatures through Tuesday will be in the 30s and 40s during the day with morning lows Monday and Tuesday from the single digits to the mid 20s, according to the weather service. A few below zero readings are also possible in the coldest Sierra valleys. Gusty northeast winds will also make it feel even colder.

The long-predicted strong cold front currently runs along a line from Susanville to Fallon to a bit north of Austin. North winds of 10 to 20 mph behind the front are kicking up dust off of the Humboldt and Carson Sinks as evidenced by 2.5 mile visibility at the Fallon Naval Air Station.

With continued winds from the north and northeast Sunday, dust and light haze is expected to spread over many areas of western and west-central Nevada with some minor reductions in air quality (perhaps moderate) possible.

Temperatures Sunday will be 15-25 degrees colder than Saturday with highs mainly in the 40s to near 50 degrees.

Precipitation-wise, the airmass remains moisture-starved; however, upslope flow will bring a 10-20 percent chance for dusting of snow this afternoon-early evening for western Mono County with a few brief sprinkles south of Highway 50 and east of Yerington/Alt 95. Southwest Mono County should see the Creek Fire smoke clear out during the afternoon and evening as winds shift to the north and northeast over the Sierra crest, according to the weather service.

The coldest temperatures of the season so far will arrive Sunday night with lows down into the teens to lower 20s for most lower elevations and single digits to mid teens for Sierra valleys. Any areas that escaped freezing temperatures during the past couple of nights won't avoid it Sunday night. Sunday is the last chance to finish winter reparation of irrigation systems to reduce risk of freeze-induced damage.

Monday and Monday night will remain chilly, with highs struggling to reach 50 degrees again while lows drop well below freezing. Then, as high pressure off the CA coast rebuilds inland and shifts to the Great Basin, temperatures will climb with highs returning to near average Tuesday and then warm to 4-8 degrees above average (mainly mid 60s-lower 70s) from Wednesday through the end of the month.