South Lake Tahoe weather: Rain and snow in the 10-day forecast

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Enjoy your last day of sunshine for a while as a strong, wet and cold weather system heads to California and Lake Tahoe. The 10-day forecast has rain and snow in South Lake Tahoe each day. Have weekend outdoor plans? You may want to have a backup plan in place.

Amgen Tour of California picked the right weekend to start in Northern California. As the race moves south, the storm systems move in.

Breezy and mild conditions today will transition by Thursday to a colder, windier pattern with periods of rain and mountain snow. Additional rounds of rain and mountain snow are possible Saturday night into Sunday with continued unsettled weather expected for much of the following week according to the National Weather Service.

Periods of rain and high elevation snow are likely beginning Wednesday with snow levels around 8000-8500 feet, but impacts to Sierra passes are not expected until Thursday evening into Friday morning when snow levels fall to near 6000 feet.

Sierra passes from Donner to Carson Pass could see 2-7" of snowfall by Friday
morning, but the heaviest snowfall totals are expected on mountain top locations above 8500 feet mainly across Mono County where 10-18" is possible.

Roadways could be impacted during the overnight hours for lower elevation roadways but daytime accumulation is unlikely due to warmer daytime road temperatures during this time of the year. The only Sierra pass currently open that may see minor daytime accumulations is the Mt. Rose Highway/SR431.

Daytime high temperatures in South Lake Tahoe will be in the 40s to 50s, 50s to 60s in the valley. Freezing could affect sensitive plans.

And it doesn't get better....below average temperatures look to continue through the weekend.

Breezy to windy conditions are expected to continue through this week with afternoon and evening wind gusts of 30-45 mph likely, with stronger winds possible by Sunday. Expect choppy to rough conditions on Lake Tahoe and other area lakes, travel difficulties for high profile vehicles in wind prone locations off of the hill along I-580, Highways 395 and 95, and turbulence and mountain wave activity for aviation interests.

At this time it doesn't look like there will be local flooding from this storm, but it is always advisable to be aware and prepared. The Upper Truckee River is running high today, but it is still well below flood stage. As of Tuesday the river is 7.12 feet, with minor flooding 8.5 feet and major flood stage at 11.25 feet.

South Lake Tahoe Assistant Public Works Director Jim Marino said he doesn't see the river getting out of the minor-moderate range. Colorado Court in the "State Streets" is the first neighborhood to see any flood waters should they come due to its proximity to the river just before it empties into Lake Tahoe.

Though, any debris in the river can always change outcomes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) flood map is showing the only local area that could see flooding is the West Fork of the Carson River near Woodfords.

Marino said the City will open their sandbag locations this week for those concerned with possible flooding. The gates to the City yard on Rufus Allen Blvd. will be open as will the sand location behind the fire station at 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

The forecast from the National Weather Service in Reno through Sunday:

Today- Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday - A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. South wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday Night - Showers, mainly after 11pm. Low around 36. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday - Rain showers before 11am, then rain and snow showers. High near 44. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night - Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday - A chance of snow showers before 11am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night -Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Saturday - A slight chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.

Saturday Night - A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 30.

Sunday - Rain and snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46.

Sunday Night - Rain and snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.