Two weather systems headed to Lake Tahoe this week

Winter will finally make an appearance to Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada and Northern Nevada by the end of the week and even into next week as well. A much welcomed Sierra snow will be on tap, as a colder, stronger storm is set to move into the region according to the National Weather Service in Reno. This will bring the first significant snowfall to the Sierra that we`ve seen in a while.

The latest weather models continue to show a weak to moderate Atmospheric River (AR) moving into the Sierra, combining with much colder temperatures behind the cold front.

A foot of snow is expected at 7000 ft and several inches of snow expected down to 5500 feet.

But first, it's mild and dry weather through Monday with high pressure across the region. Temperatures will be well above average along with relatively light winds. Expect high temperatures in the mid to upper 50s across western Nevada and Sierra valleys. Troughing off the west coast will weaken high pressure and allow for the first in a series of storms to impact the region early Tuesday morning.

Upper level winds will increase late Monday into Tuesday ahead of this first storm with breezy winds across the valley locations buy Tuesday afternoon. Precipitation will begin to push into the Sierra late Monday evening and will spread through Tuesday morning with the fast-moving cold front.

On Thursday, Sierra ridge gusts will easily reach over 100 mph, and will be gusty at lower elevations.

The forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno:

Today - Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind.

Tonight - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the evening.

M.L.King Day - Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday Night - Rain likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday - Rain likely before 4pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tuesday Night - A chance of rain and snow before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Wednesday - Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.

Wednesday Night - A slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Thursday - Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Breezy.

Thursday Night - Snow. Cloudy, with a low around 27.

Friday - Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.

Friday Night - A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19.

Saturday - A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 35.