Storm could drop almost two feet of snow over the Sierra this weekend

A new storm is headed to Lake Tahoe, making its first push into Northern California and Nevada with rain and snow on Friday. Even though the storm should be a moderate sized one, significant shadowing will keep the precipitation along the Sierra crest westward, with little if any spillover from Lake Tahoe eastward.

The second piece pushes into the region Friday night into Saturday helping to spread rain and snow across the eastern Sierra and northwest Nevada. Snow levels could drop to around 5,000 ft on Saturday. The National Weather Service is forecasting 12 to 20 inches along the Sierra Crest west of Highway 89, 6 to 14 inches above 7,000 feet east of Highway 89. Lake level should see 3 to 7 inches.

Light snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible above 5000 feet in western Nevada Saturday including the Virginia City Highlands, the north valleys of Reno, and the western foothills of both Reno and Carson City. While snow may mix with rain down to all valley floors, accumulation is not expected.

This storm will also bring gusty southerly winds to the region with widespread 30 to 50 mph wind gusts across valleys, likely the strongest along the Highway 395 corridor. Sierra ridges will be gusting upwards of 100 mph, which along with the snow will make for near white out conditions in the High Sierra and dangerous back country recreation. Both the winds and the snow are likely to cause travel impacts throughout the region, be prepared for delays.

Tonight - Snow likely after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Windy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday - Rain and snow likely, becoming all rain after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 44. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday Night - Rain before 10pm, then rain and snow. Low around 31. Breezy, with a south wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Saturday - Snow. High near 37. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Saturday Night - A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the evening. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Sunday - Partly sunny, with a high near 40.

Sunday Night - A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.