Winter weather blocks view of meteors.
Today's storm also will serve as a celestial show-stopper, with clouds likely obscuring remnants of one of the year's larger meteor showers.
After unseasonably warm temperatures over the weekend and high temperatures in Reno on Monday exceeding 60 degrees, another storm is headed for the region today.
Rain and winds gusting up to 55 mph are expected in the Reno-Carson area today, while light snow in the mountains should intensify through the day into tonight.
It's really a "run of the mill" December storm, but it represents a change, said Alex Hoon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.
"It's definitely a return to a more winter pattern," Hoon said.
Along Sierra ridges, winds today could gust in excess of 100 mph. Snow levels are expected to start high but lower to Lake Tahoe or below later in the day.
Up to 18 inches of snow might fall along the Sierra crest, with 6 to 12 inches expected above 7,000 feet. Several inches of snow are possible around Lake Tahoe.
"The snow is going to accumulate pretty fast," Hoon said. "It's definitely going to cause some travel issues.