SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Dry weather, light winds, and unseasonably warm temperatures continue through Monday. Patchy, freezing returns Monday morning before the day turns sunny, but look for the forecast to finally show a chance for precipitation starting Tuesday night. Any snow in the forecast is expected to be above lake level.

The pattern change is expected to bring increased winds and slight chances for precipitation primarily to the Sierra and northeast California, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the areas with the best opportunity to see showers will be along the northern Sierra from I-80 and northward to the Oregon border. This weekend another system looks to take aim at the region. This system initially looks a tad cooler, so it may have more snow potential. However, these details are in the longer range, and with little agreement of the exact track for this low it can be difficult to tease out the details this far in advance, according to NWS Reno.

At this point, things are looking more positive for snow the following week. Perhaps a white Christmas?

The South Lake Tahoe weekly forecast from NWS Reno:

Monday

Widespread fog, mainly before 10 am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind.

Monday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Calm wind.

Tuesday

A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4 pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night

Rain likely, mainly after 10 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch is possible.

Wednesday

Rain likely, mainly before 10 am. Snow level 9500 feet, lowering to 8700 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50. Southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday Night

A chance of rain before 10 pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Snow level 8300 feet. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday

A chance of rain and snow before 7 am, then a chance of rain. Snow level 9300 feet. Partly sunny, with a high near 54.

Thursday Night

A chance of rain, mainly after 4 am. Snow level 8500 feet, lowering to 7800 feet after midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.

Friday

Rain likely, mainly after 10 am. Snow level 7600 feet rising to 8300 feet in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.

Friday Night

Rain likely. Snow level 8600 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Saturday

Rain likely. Snow level 8000 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.

Saturday Night

Rain likely. Snow level 7700 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Sunday

Rain likely. Snow level 8100 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.