Get out the heavy blankets and hot cocoa - weather forecasters say blustery wind and hard rain will hit today, with a chance of the city's first snow of the season as darkness falls.
The National Weather Service predicts heavy downpours in the Carson Range and the west side of town today. It issued a flood watch from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. for residents living in the Waterfall fire burn areas.
"Tie down your loose patio furniture," said Rudy Cruz, weather specialist for the National Weather Service. "Winds will reach up to 50 mph. Residents near drainage areas and creeks need to prepare for flash floods."
A winter-storm warning has also been issued for midnight tonight through 6 a.m. Wednesday, with up to a foot of snow expected above 5,000 feet.
"That 5,000-foot estimation could swing either way," Cruz said. "There is a margin of error."
He said snow depth could reach up to 3 feet in the higher elevations of the Lake Tahoe region overnight.
Carson City Engineer Larry Werner said city workers and prison crews have been diligently preparing for wet weather, placing straw wattles and log erosion barriers on eroded hillsides throughout the Waterfall fire burn area.
Work crews and city staff will be on call during the watch to handle any unforeseen mudslides or accidents related to the storm, he said.
Residents of burn areas can get sandbags by calling the Carson City Development Service Department at 887-2355.
Contact reporter Robyn Moormeister at rmoormeister@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.
