SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It had been a long, dry spell for the Sierra, but that all came to a screeching halt Friday and the first in a series of atmospheric rivers hit the west. Due to the amount of forecasted rain, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Flood Watch for the Lake Tahoe Basin for Sunday, Dec. 21 from 4 a.m. to Monday, Dec. 22 at 4 p.m.
Expect moderate to heavy rain with high rain/snow elevation (8,000 feet and higher) Saturday evening through Sunday. This will lead to significant rises of rivers, creeks and streams with the potential for minor flooding.
Included in the Flood Watch are portions of California, including the Greater Lake Tahoe Area and Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties, including the Susan River near Susanville and the West Fork of the Carson River near Woodford and portions of western Nevada.
After the first waves of rain, NWS Reno says there will be a series of cooler storms rolling through starting Tuesday and going through Friday. It’s looking like a white Christmas with snow levels lowering to 5000-7000 feet. The exact details of intensity, location, and duration remain to be determined.
NWS Sacramento has issued a Winter Storm Watch for areas above 5500 feet in the Sierra and Cascades just west of Lake Tahoe. They are calling for snow up to a foot above 5500, 2-4 feet at highest peaks. The timing of the storm is Tuesday-Friday morning, but exact timing still needs to be determined.