The train of storms is nearing it’s end this week, with one more good storm rolling through this week. A weaker storm will move through on Thursday, but Friday will be dry. A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for the Truckee Meadows Sunday night at 12am through 10pm Monday for slick roads and low visibility. The snow will begin around 10pm Sunday night and go throughout the day on Monday. Roads will stay slick through Tuesday morning. Lately the storms have been to our west or northwest, but this one will come in from the south. As the low moves to the southeast snow bands will form on the backside of the low and rotate around it. This will give the valley a good chance for snow. While there is still plenty of moisture to work with, levels aren’t as high as they have been. Snow totals will be higher south of I-80 With Carson City seeing anywhere between 3-6” of snow, and Reno 1-3 inches. One to two feet of snow could fall in the high Sierra, mainly in Mono County.
Mid latitude cyclones are comprised of both a warm sector and a cold sector. When the warm air rides overtop of the cold air the air can rise. Atmospheric Rivers are warmer in nature and oftentimes are associated with warm air advection, making it easier for the air to rise in the valley and rain or snow to fall. Our next storm will develop a deformation zone on the northwest side of the low. This is when warm air to the east collides with cold air to the west. The warm air rides overtop of the denser cold air to the west and snow falls. Since the air is colder at the surface, the precipitation can fall as snow.
The low will be out of here by late Monday night, but the leftovers will make for an icy commute Tuesday morning. A weaker storm rolls through on Thursday. This last storm brought additional feet of snowfall to our ski resorts. The Reno Airport has already received 7.41 inches of liquid precipitation since the water year began on October 1st. This is the second wettest water year on record in Reno trailing behind 2017 with 8.35 inches. Have a good week!
