Two back to back winter storm systems that could bring the heaviest snow to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra in more than a year, gusty winds and a good rain soaking around Carson City should begin to arrive late Wednesday into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
Southwest to west winds will begin to increase Wednesday, becoming strong and potentially damaging by Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Valley wind gusts of 40 to 65 mph are possible, with gusts 70 to 80 mph possible in wind prone locations, especially along the Highway 395 and I-580 corridors, according to the weather service.
The certainty of strong winds has prompted the weather service to issue a High Wind Watch for the valleys including Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton.
"What we want people to be aware of is the wind associated with this storm and the potential for damaging winds early Thursday morning," said Dawn Johnson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Holiday lawn ornaments should be secured and bring in the small pets.
This will be followed by an atmospheric river bringing plenty of moisture into the Sierra. Heavy, wet snow is likely, with 1 to 3 feet of snow possible above 7,000 feet and 12 to 24 inches down to Lake Tahoe level. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra.
“It is not out of the question that we could see several feet of snow in the Sierra above 7,000 feet,” according to forecasters in the latest weather discussion area on the weather service website.
Good spillover is expected into western Nevada, but with this being a relatively warmer system, the majority of the precipitation will fall as rain with up to an inch of rain possible. There will be travel impacts both from the wind and then the snow, according to the weather service.
The first storm may linger into Friday or may leave that morning, said the weather service's Dawn Johnson.
"The question mark with this storm is if we are going to be seeing additional snow showers throughout the day Friday or if the storm is going to be quicker to exit, leaving us with only slight chances Friday morning," she said.
Another colder storm may impact the area Saturday night into Sunday, bringing snow levels down to the valley floors. Forecasters still aren't as certain about how much precipitation this system will carry with it. It is possible the next system will be as strong as the first system, but because it will be colder, the snow amounts could be more than the first storm.
For the Sierra and Lake Tahoe areas, the heaviest snow will happen Thursday with snow showers lingering in the Sierra overnight into Friday morning. Snow levels will start between 7,000 to 8,000 feet but drop to 5,000 to 6,000 feet Thursday. Several feet of snow is possible with up to a foot down to 6,000 feet. The valley foothills could get up to two inches of snow. Rainfall for the Carson City area will dominate, with a half inch to an inch of rain possible.
For Carson City area weather stats and more see CarsonWeather.com.