Another storm headed for Carson Valley

This time last year, daffodils were blooming, and bees were busy buzzing around in Carson Valley fruit trees.

While the daffs are just now peeking above the ground, the fruit trees re-main napping after a record snow year that, so far, hasn’t shown any interest in shutting down.

But after a storm forecast to roll through Western Nevada on Sunday night there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.

After a burst of warm air today accompanying the arrival of the front, a wind advisory takes effect 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday.

West winds at 20-30 mph will gust to 50 to 60 mph across Western Nevada, bringing difficult driving conditions for high profile vehicles and a chance of reduced visibility due to blowing dust in the deserts.

Snow showers will join the winds to complicate travel conditions through the Sierra into Monday, with a high chance of more snow in the Sierra and some light snow in Western Nevada through into Monday night.

Forecasters say there’s a chance spring will return starting Wednesday into Easter weekend.

Last year, the last temperature below freezing was recorded in Minden on May 21, with the first freeze of fall 2022 arriving Oct. 15, representing an unusually long growing season in Carson Valley.

That’s unlikely to happen this year, as residents in parts of the Valley awoke to snow over three of the last seven days.

On Thursday morning, Topaz Ranch Estates resident John Flaherty reported 3-4 inches while Fredericksburg resident Jeff Garvin reported 2 inches of snow.

The branches of landscaping shrubs in downtown Gardnerville were decorated with small snowballs after another snowstorm.

Officially, Minden recorded snow on March 26, 29 and 30, according to R-C Weather Watcher Stan Kapler.

So far, the Douglas County seat has seen 11 inches of snow during March, which brings the total for this winter to 71.2 inches of snow.

The record for snow during winter was 79.6 inches set during the winter of 1910, according to the National Weather Service. The first quarter of 2023 has seen 13.39 inches of precipitation, setting a new record. That rain has pushed all hint of drought out of Douglas County, according to drought.gov maps.

Irrigation season begins today, but with 20.36 inches of precipitation since the water year began on Oct. 1 in Minden, most fields are already well watered.

Records aren’t limited to Carson Valley.