More snow expected today

A storm that left behind a dusting of snow in the valleys Wednesday morning will be followed by another this afternoon, said Scott McGuire, meteorologist for the National Weather Service

in Reno.

"We have another system already coming in. There was hardly a break between the two systems," McGuire said.

Snow is likely this afternoon, and accumulations will continue through the night until Friday morning.

The Wednesday storm left heavier accumulations north and east of Carson City, but only 1-2 inches in most locations between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., he said. In the Sierra, 4-8 inches fell, with as much as 10 inches in some places.

Today's storm is expected to pack a more powerful punch, bringing 2-4 inches to the valleys by this evening.

A winter storm watch will be in effect through Friday morning. That storm is expected to bring 2 to 3 more feet of snow above 7,000 feet, with 10 to 18 inches possible at lake level.

Avalanche danger is considerable as of Wednesday, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center, but the risk could increase as the snow falls. For updated avalanche conditions, visit www.sierraavalanchecenter.org.

"The Sierra is going to get hit pretty hard again - they're buried up there," McGuire said. "In Tahoe City, they've got about 61 inches on the ground."

Other areas of California are recording similar numbers with Bodie at 46 inches, Mammoth 50 inches and South Lake Tahoe 32 inches.

"Those are some pretty impressive snow depth reports, and it's continuing to pile up," he said.

By Sunday, things should start to quiet down a bit and shift into a more quiet cycle than we've had the past couple of weeks, McGuire said.

Daytime temperatures have been in the low- to mid-40s.

"That's 12-15 degrees below normal for this time of year," he said.