Record high in Reno followed by snow in Sierra Nevada

RENO - One day after Carson City and Reno set record highs for the date, a snow advisory went into effect in the Sierra Nevada, but it didn't last long.

The first in a series of storms expected to push into the Sierra Nevada late Wednesday fizzled when the system split, coming over the mountains and leaving Eagle and Carson valleys dry. The system dropped only trace amounts of snow on the Truckee Meadows.

Light snow began falling at midmorning at Alpine Meadows, according to spokeswoman Rachael Woods.

Despite the lack of moisture in the valleys Wednesday, today's system is still expected to do well for the mountains, but won't arrive until tonight, said Ray Collins, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.

Up to 6 inches of much needed snow is expected above 6,500 feet and a couple of inches at lake level.

That snow level would affect both Donner Summit on Interstate 80 and Echo Summit on Highway 50.

The unsettled weather will continue through the weekend, producing snow at the higher elevations and rain below about 6,500-7,000 feet. Rain also is expected to reach the valleys of Northern Nevada, but won't be anything significant, Collins said

The change in the weather comes on the heels of a record 66 degree high Tuesday in Carson City and 69 degree high in Reno. In Carson, the record was 1 degree warmer than the old mark. In Reno, the record set 56 years ago in 1951 was beat by 2 degrees.

Neither record comes close to Carson's highest ever temp for February, 76 degrees, set Feb. 10, 1951.

The series of warm storms was expected to produce scattered rain or snow through the weekend across all of Northern Nevada with highs a few degrees above normal, according to weather service meteorologist Gina Beninato.

She said the possibility of some heavy rainfall through Sunday could push creeks, small streams and drainages close to their banks, depending on the rain's intensity and longevity.

Soils, which have seen little precipitation since New Year's Day, are dry enough to absorb average precipitation.