Carson City area weather: Snow to valley floors Thursday night into Friday morning
With a storm expected to bring 2 feet of snow to the Sierra and some snow down to the valley floor Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the greater Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley area.
Forecasters say valley areas could receive snow accumulation up to 2 inches during the duration of the storm and as much as 2 to 6 inches in foothill locations near and above 5,000 feet including Virginia City.
The Winter Weather Advisory is from 4 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday. Motorists should plan on slippery road conditions that could impact the Thursday evening and the Friday morning commutes.
Snow may begin to accumulate Thursday afternoon in foothill locations, but the greatest risk for snow accumulations at all elevations will occur Thursday evening and overnight. Even though the snow is expected to wrap up before the Friday morning commute, the roads may still be icy.
Even light snowfall causes major travel delays, especially during periods of high traffic volume. Be sure to allow extra time to reach your destination. Leave extra space between vehicles since it takes longer to stop on slick roadways.
The latest road conditions can be obtained by going to NVroads.com or calling 511.
Meanwhile, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Friday for the greater Lake Tahoe area. Heavy snow expected with the storm, with total snow accumulations of 8 to 18 inches, except 12 to 24 inches above 7,000 feet. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph in valley locations with gusts above 100 mph along the Sierra crest.
Travel will be very difficult with hazardous conditions impacting the morning and evening commutes. Strong winds could cause damage to trees and lead to power outages.
The heaviest snowfall rates are anticipated on Thursday and could reach 2-3 inches per hour. The combination of heavy snow and wind may bring periods of whiteout conditions.
Also, the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee has issued a Backcountry Avalanche Watch for the greater Lake Tahoe area due to a period of high avalanche danger Thursday morning to Friday morning.
The watch extends from the Central Sierra Nevada between Yuba Pass (Hwy 49) on the north and Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4) on the south, including the greater Lake Tahoe area.
Forecasters say the winter storm will produce gale winds loading substantial amounts of new snow onto a weak existing snowpack may result in widespread avalanche activity in the mountains. Large avalanches could occur in a variety of areas. Travel in and near avalanche terrain is not recommended during high avalanche danger.
Go https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org or www.avalanche.org for more detailed information.
Looking ahead into the weekend, a break between storms is anticipated for the remainder of Friday and much of Saturday, with well below average highs (mainly 30s to near 40) Friday edging upward a few degrees Saturday, according to forecasters in the latest NWS weather discussion.
The next storm is most likely to bring additional snow starting in northeast California by late Saturday afternoon, with the bulk of the snow occurring Saturday night and Sunday. If this system sets up in a favorable location, snowfall amounts could range from 1 to 2 feet near the Sierra crest, with up to 1 foot from western Lassen County southward to the Tahoe basin and Alpine/western Mono counties. A few inches are also possible near the US-395 corridor extending from northeast California to far western Nevada and into Mono County.