March is shaping up to be a good month for our snowpack, with a good storm moving through northern Nevada Wednesday and Thursday. The peak of the storm, when snowfall rates will range from 2-4 inches per hour will be from 3-7pm Wednesday. This is when the cold front will move through. Reno will see more wind than anything else, leading to a lot of shadowing. Some light to moderate rain will spillover into the valley as the front rolls through, eventually switching over to snow around 11pm.
Cold and unsettled air moves in behind the front, allowing for more scattered activity on Thursday. Impacts Thursday will be high, but they are extreme Wednesday evening. Thursday afternoon will be better than the morning. Another system rolls in on Friday, but this one won’t be as strong.
That’s not all, another significant storm moves through late Sunday into Monday. Not only will the snow be heavy late Wednesday, but visibility will be low from blowing snow as well.
Wind is created from differences in temperature, which is related to pressure. The tighter the temperature/pressure gradient, the stronger wind speeds will be. Highs on Tuesday were in the 60’s, and we’ll be in the 40’s come Thursday. Strong winds will intensify as the front comes through, before easing Wednesday night. Thursday will still be breezy, but not as bad as Wednesday. This will be the kind of wind you can hear, and could impact air travel.
Valleys will see less than a couple inches of snow out of this storm, but Virginia City will see between 2-4 inches, mainly Wednesday night. Lake Tahoe, including Truckee and South Lake, will see between 8-16 inches…