Winter Storm Warning in place for Lake Tahoe until Wednesday, new storm by end of week

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Another potent atmospheric river event brings heavy Sierra snow, strong winds, and a mixture of heavy wet snow and lower elevation flooding concerns Monday through Tuesday. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has a Winter Storm Warning in place for Lake Tahoe, the Sierra, and Western Nevada through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

Snow levels will vary widely Monday so the primary impacts could shift between winter travel and flooding risks. A short storm break is possible mid-late week but more storms appear likely next weekend and beyond.

They are calling for heavy, wet snow with total snow accumulations through late Tuesday night of 1 to 2 feet, except 2 to 5 feet above 7000 feet. Localized snowfall in excess of 5 feet is possible along the Sierra crest west of Lake Tahoe. Wind gusts up to 50 mph with exposed ridges gusting in excess of 130 mph at times. Waves up to 4 feet on Lake Tahoe.

The storm is coming in with plenty of boom/bust potential for elevations below 7000 feet, so forecasted snow amounts are fluctuating at lake level. The highest amount of snowfall should be between 4 a.m. and noon on Monday.

The other part of this storm comes on Tuesday morning. This storm will move through slightly quicker, though will be just as complex as Monday`s storm with varying snow levels. In some aspects, NWS Reno says it looks to be similar to the New Year`s Eve storm.

Snowfall for this system is expected to start early Tuesday morning and last through overnight into Wednesday. Snowfall rates will be heaviest between 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The weekly forecast for South Lake Tahoe from NWS Reno:

Monday - Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 11 am. The rain could be heavy at times. Snow level 6500 feet rising to 7500 feet in the afternoon. High near 43. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches is possible.

Monday Night - Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 8 pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 25. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches is possible.

Tuesday - Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 39. South wind around 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches is possible.

Tuesday Night - A 50 percent chance of snow before 5 am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 20. Southwest wind around 5 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch is possible.

Wednesday - A 20 percent chance of snow after 11 am. Partly sunny, with a high near 39.

Wednesday Night - A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Thursday - A slight chance of snow before 11 am, then a slight chance of rain and snow between 11 am and 2 pm, then a slight chance of rain after 2 pm. Snow level rises to 7500 feet in the afternoon. Partly sunny, with a high near 45.

Thursday Night - A slight chance of rain before 8 pm, then a chance of rain and snow between 8 pm and 2 am, then a chance of snow after 2 am. Snow level 6700 feet lowering to 6300 feet after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 25.

Friday - A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44.

Friday Night - A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Saturday - Rain and snow are likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night - Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low of around 20.

Sunday - A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39.