Wacky weather has many, including plants, confused

It doesn't take much more than a walk through the park to see that something is wrong - or right, depending on how you look at it.

It's the weather, of course.

Carson Country residents received a short reprieve from the usual dips in temperature typical in Northern Nevada during the fall and it has translated into more time for the top down on the convertible, wearing shorts or even going swimming.

Some sun-seekers got a heavy dose at a ceremony to kick off improvements at the Carson River Park Thursday. The high temperature of 81 degrees played well with the event which included ground breaking for work that will add trails, trailheads, restrooms and even handicap accessibility.

According to the National Weather Service, Northern Nevada is experiencing temperatures that are 10 to 12 degrees above the annual average of 70 degrees during the day and freezing at night.

National Weather Service Forecaster Steve Goldstein says the warm weather is a continuation of the "La Nina" weather system that created higher pressure in the Eastern Pacific last year.

This high-pressure system creates warm, dry weather and pushes storms farther inland toward the Midwestern and Eastern United States.

"It's the atmosphere's way of stabilizing itself after El Nino," said Goldstein. "The equatorial temperature is still slightly below average."

Last year's oddball weather was related to this below average equatorial temperature.

But the unseasonable highs are going to give way to average temperatures for the next few days as a cold front is expected to move in.

"The latest models show a low-pressure front off the coast of Southern California," said Goldstein. "We will likely notice low 70s as opposed to mid-80s, but it will stay fairly dry."

Goldstein said the weather this year is pushing the usual time for temperatures to drop to a later time in the year, which means the usual winter frost will also come later.

Having the frost postponed has "caused things to grow quite robustly," he said.

A dryer than usual winter is expected and will likely push annual rainfall for Carson City below the 11.8-inch average and annual snowfall below the 31.6-inch average.