Winter weather conditions are shaping up to arrive in Carson City and Sierra this evening and overnight into Thursday morning with more weather systems on the way through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
Up to two inches of snow is possible tonight for Carson City, with 4 to 6 inches Sierra before snow levels begin to rise to around 8,000 feet resulting in mostly rain around the Tahoe Basin beginning late morning/early afternoon on Thursday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday morning.
This rise will cut snow accumulations around the Lake Tahoe rim with hefty totals possible above 8,000 feet, with 1-2 feet of accumulation, according to the weather service. Precipitation will continue through Saturday with intermittent breaks.
Elsewhere including Carson City, Carson Valley and Dayton areas, there's a chance of freezing rain after the initial snow. The best estimate of ice build up on roads is currently from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
The morning commute could be dicey, and drivers should take extra care, and be especially wary of elevated road surfaces like bridges and overpasses, the weather service advises. It takes very little in the way of ice accumulation to make travel extremely hazardous.
The weather service says there's an active Pacific jet stream that will continue this weekend and into the middle of next week. For now at least, the forecast looks for snow for Lake Tahoe and Sierra and rain in the valleys through Sunday. Check back for updates.
Check the latest forecast at weather.gov/Reno and check road conditions with Caltrans and NDOT.
For the latest weather discussion go here. For weather updates for Carson City, see CarsonWeather.com.