Nevada County Weather

8:18 PM/ 55*f / Mostly Cloudy- Warm air advection tonight will keep the snow levels above pass level and only begin lower below 6,000Ft. late Sunday. We are still expecting quite a bit of rain in Western Nevada County. Heavy rain (2-5 inches) and windy conditions (20-30MPH gusts) will persist on Sunday night and into early Monday as the first system pushes through. By Tuesday, snow levels will begin to fall (4,000Ft.) as each successive storm will be colder as the subtropical plume slides down into SoCal allowing colder air to filter in. Heavy rain will fall below 3,500Ft. through most of Tuesday, but by late Tuesday places like Cascade Shores, Banner and upper NSJ will begin to see snow. Wednesday will remain showery as by Thursday a colder system may actually bring quite a bit of snow (6-8 additional inches) above 3,000Ft.  The Sierra above 6,000 Ft. will see anywhere from 3-6Ft of snow by Friday. The upcoming weekend actually looks very nice at this time as a ridge of high pressure moves in …but that’s a long way away.

6:50 PM/ 43F/High Clouds- A major pattern change is under way in the calm before the storm. Two systems have merged in the eastern pacific and are headed our way. Timing is tricky with this one but once this system comes onshore you can expect heavy rain (2-5 inches) and gusty winds around 20-30MPH below 6,000Ft. Winds aloft will be stronger, many ridgetops will reach gusts up to 65MPH. Snow will start out at 6,000 Ft. but lower quickly down to 4,000 Ft. on Monday but one model has snow down to Nevada City late Monday which will make the evening commute on Monday quite interesting. One thing for sure, orographics look excellent for 3-6Ft of snow at resort level and least 18″ at 4,000Ft. with greater local accumulation. On Tuesday, a colder more vigorous fast moving system is expected to drop down from the Gulf of Alaska bringing with more heavy rain with lower snow levels that will eventually reach down to 2,800Ft. This system will add at least a couple of feet of snow above 6,000Ft. and 2-4 inches of snow in the higher reaches of Nevada City. The combination and timing of these systems will likely raise flood concerns.

Here's what's coming our way

6:41 PM/ 45*F/Partly Cloudy/.31″ rain- A major winter storm has got its eye set on NorCal for this weekend. Rain could start here as early Saturday afternoon in Nevada City and potentially wear on through Thursday morning if model runs are correct.  The parent cut-off low should remain offshore during this time ushering in a moist plume of subtropical moisture into SoCal. This flow will be favorable for colder air to remain over NorCal, dropping snow levels to possibly below 3,000Ft on by late Wednesday. This will mean that the Sierra above 6,000Ft. could receive over 4-5 Ft. of new snow. Lower elevations around Harmony Ridge near Hwy 20 and the upper reaches of NSJ above the Columbia Schoolhouse can expect at least a foot or more of snow once the colder air settles in on Monday. Nevada City and Grass Valley can expect over 3 inches of rain over the same time period prompting flood concerns around creeks and small streams. The rain and snow won’t stop until the trough opens up and the cold upper low finally emerges and lifts off to the northwest on Thursday.

7:29 PM/44*F/Partly Cloudy- It was sure nice to see the sun come out this morning. I hope you enjoyed it as tomorrow will be a day of transition as a weak winter storm moves through Nevada County. Snow levels will be lower and only reach down to 5,000Ft. or so by Thursday morning. By then Nevada City might get a quarter of an inch of rain or so. A weak ridge will provide some clearing by late Thursday/Friday as a very wet and vigorous storm system arrives by late Saturday or Sunday. This system will pickup subtropical moisture so snow levels will be initially high but then bomb down into the upper foothills on Monday; so areas above 3,300Ft. like Cascade Shores and the upper North San Juan Ridge will see a few inches of snow. Temps will also cool down and remain chilly through the weekend as the low is expected to hang offshore sending impulses through the region and not  moving in until sometime next Tuesday.
*My New Idea* I’m toying with the idea of broadcasting a live show w/video on Sundays. Thinking about interviews, deep weather discussions, how to prepare for storms, Storm stories etc.. fun stuff like that. Drop me a line if you have ideas or are interested in being on

6:53PM/ 47*F/Overcast/Rain/1.18″- After getting over 2 inches of rain over the last couple of days, rain seems to be slowing down as the upper level low moves inland into Oregon taking with it the trigger for all that energy.  The southern jet will slowly retreat and end all precipitation by early Tuesday. Light showers will still be possible on Tuesday in the higher elevations like Highway 20 and The NSJ Ridge. This break will be short lived as an area of low pressure comes onshore and with it more showers on Wednesday night into Thursday. Beyond Thursday it looks like another possible wet storm will again push through NorCal on Saturday. The Saturday system looks very potent and very capable of bringing another significant period of rain to Western Nevada County. Snow levels may be lower than the last storm but I’ll save that for the next update. Temps will continue in the low 50’s for daytime highs and low to mid 40’s overnight.

7:22 PM/ 47*F/Overcast/rain/1.09″- We got rain. In fact it’s still raining. Fortunately the rain has not been heavy only moderate with light winds. This type of rain is very beneficial though the snow level has been right at pass level 7,000ft+. Snow levels should begin to drop as haeavier rain moves in as the low approaches the coast up north. Expect rain for most of tomorrow, becoming showery by Tuesday. After Tuesday the forecast becomes a mess as the models are having a hard time coming to a consensus on where that low offshore will go. We might get a break on Thursday/Friday with another wet storm on Saturday/Sunday. The snow level will likely remain above 5,000Ft. all week with several feet still expected at pass level. 2-3″ of rain by the end of the week below the snow is likely throughout Western Nevada County. Temps will be running in the low 50’s by day and down in the mid-low 40’s by night around Nevada City.