We will finish the week (and Start the month) on a warmish note, with the Reno and Tahoe areas climbing up into the 50s with partly cloudy skies. A weak to moderate storm system will move into the region late Saturday afternoon, kicking up some brisk winds and giving us a slight chance of some showers late Saturday into Sunday morning. Those showers in the valley could turn to snow Sunday (although it is unlikely there will be valley accumulations), with the mountain passes likely to pick up a couple of inches during that same time frame. Things dry out late Monday for the rest of the week, but the cold air will stick around through Thursday.

Yesterday I talked about frost free hose bibs. What makes a hose bib frost free? If you look at them before they are installed, you will notice the feed pipe is quite long…at least 6 inches but often a foot or longer (for colder climates.) The closing valve is seated all the way down at the end inside the foundation away from the outside end so that when it is shut off, there isn’t any water exposed to the cold air in the pipe, but is rather contained inside the structure. They are absolutely necessary in our cold winter climes.