SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Lake Tahoe from Tuesday, March 11, at 11 p.m., to Thursday, March 13, at 11 p.m. This storm is developing into what could be one of the biggest of the winter as it arrives with below-freezing temperatures.

NWS Reno says to expect heavy snow with snow accumulations up to 2 to 3 feet near the Sierra crest with up to 12 to 18 inches in the Sierra communities over 48 hours. Winds are expected to be gusting as high as 70 mph.

This warning is for the Greater Lake Tahoe area, and Mono, Lassen, Eastern Plumas, and Eastern Sierra counties.

Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday and Thursday commutes. Strong winds could cause damage to trees and power lines as well as blowing snow that could cause near whiteout conditions.

Once this first storm passes, the door is open for snow through the following weekend.

The weekly NWS forecast for South Lake Tahoe:

Monday

Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. Southwest wind around 5 mph, becoming calm.

Tuesday

A 10 percent chance of rain after 5 pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night

A slight chance of rain and snow before 8 pm, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Wednesday

Snow. High near 41. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Wednesday Night

Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 17. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible.

Thursday

Snow. Cloudy, with a high near 31.

Thursday Night

Snow likely, mainly before 11 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13.

Friday

Snow likely, mainly after 11 am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35.

Friday Night

Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Saturday

Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.

Saturday Night

Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Sunday

Snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40.