Cold, snowy storm on its way to Carson City

These balmy fall days will come to an end today as a cold front from Canada is expected to drop temperatures and snow over the next week, said Ray Collins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.

A high in the mid-40s this morning will drop by the afternoon to the 30s, possibly the 20s by the evening, with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph, Collins said.

While some snow could fall today, up to half an inch, a larger storm is expected to slam the Carson City region Sunday night through Monday morning, dumping up to three inches of snow in the valleys and about 18 inches in the mountains, Collins said.

The high temperature on Monday isn't expected to reach 30, he said.

"Monday night will be our coldest night, single digits for low temperatures," Collins said. "And a bit of a warm up, not much, a bit, going into the middle part of the week. But then we're going to be getting into another wet pattern."

Another snow storm could hit the region Wednesday night or Thursday, he said.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is advising drivers to use caution amid the snowfall and to remember some winter-time traffic laws, Trooper Chuck Allen said in a statement.

The NHP said:

• Drivers must remove ice, snow and frost from all windows, mirrors and lights.

• License plates cannot be covered by snow.

• Although not required by law, drivers are encouraged to remove as much snow from their vehicle as possible.

• Disabled cars need to be removed from roadways within 24 hours, but are encouraged to be moved sooner, especially on two-lane mountain highways. If a car is obstructing snow removal and the Nevada Department of Transportation reports it, the vehicle will be towed regardless of how long it has been there.

• It is illegal to leave a car running while unattended while the driver waits for it to be warmed up. If a driver does leave a car while it's running, the NHP recommends locking the car with a second set of keys or staying with the car.