Wet Christmas in cards for Carson Valley

While Sierra residents bracing for snow on Friday night, it’s likely Carson Valley residents may be enjoying a wet Christmas.

The National Weather Service is predicting a possibility of a foot or more of snow above 7,000 feet with winds over the ridges hitting 85 mph or higher.

A winter storm watch has been issued for the Sierra from Susanville to just north of Yosemite.

Travel over the mountains is expected to get tricky on Christmas night, forecasters said, with heavy snow and gusty winds producing whiteout conditions over the passes.

The storm is expected to bring rain and winds to the Valley on Christmas afternoon through Saturday morning.

A second colder storm could arrive late Sunday into Monday, which could bring some snow to lower elevations, forecasters say there’s a lot of uncertainty.

Precipitation would be welcome in Carson Valley where .57 inches has fallen so far during the month.

That’s well short of the 1.01 inches typical for Dec. 23, according to Weather Service records. The average precipitation for December is 1.39 inches by Dec. 31.

High temperatures during the month have been warmer than average with 51.7 degrees in Minden so far. The average is 47.9 degrees. The record average warmest temperature in the Douglas County seat was 60.4 degrees set in 1917.