Windy, wet, cloudy until New Year's Eve

Winds gusting near 60 mph pelted Carson City with slushy rain and snow Saturday evening, with snow starting to stick at 6 p.m. -- the same time winds began to die down.

The wind and weather were enough to cause trouble for a few drivers on Kingsbury Grade and Spooner Summit who spun out on icy roads. No injuries were reported, however.

Today is expected to be cloudy with a mix of snow showers, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

"It'll still be breezy," said meteorologist Steve Goldstein on Saturday night. "With some scattered showers, but not too much in the way of snow accumulation."

The gusting winds of Saturday night were expected to give way to more mellow breezes topping out around 10 to 25 mph. The same is expected for tonight, though the temperature is expected to drop from the upper 30s during the day down to lows around 20.

Forecasters are calling for a 30 percent chance of rain in the late afternoon Monday with the snow level staying up around 6,500 feet above snow level. That means any snow flakes falling above Eagle Valley should melt to rain before they land on the streets of Carson City at about 4,700 feet above sea level.

What Monday lacks in snow, it should make up for in wind, however. Gusts from the southwest are expected to range in speed from 25 up to 50 mph. Monday night should be very windy and there is a good chance snow will return to the capital city.

"It's going to be pretty windy," warned Goldstein. "People need to take precautions with winds that can reach up to 70 mph."

Tuesday is expected to be a bit of a break in the unsettled weather, with the partly-cloudy day giving way to a mostly clear night. That'll be nice for New Year's revelers who are out and about.

Nevadan's can expect to wake up to 2003 on Wednesday with relatively warmer temperatures and more of the same cloudy skies. Highs could be in the upper 40s.

Information

For highway conditions, call (877) 687-6237

or go online at: www.nvroads.com

or, on the radio, in Carson City tune into to 1610 am or in Reno or Lake Tahoe, tune in to 530 am.

Nationa; Weather Service on the net: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Reno/