Dramatic change to the Lake Tahoe weather this weekend

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A strong cold front will move through the region Saturday bringing a dramatic change to the weather with breezy winds, rain, snow, and much colder weather returning for the weekend. according to the National Weather Service in Reno. Now is the time to prepare for winter travel if you have plans to drive over the mountains, and to prepare your garden and irrigation for possible freezing temperatures.

There is a Lake Wind Advisory in effect from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Friday. Winds will be from the southwest 15-25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph expected. Waves till be 2-4 feet.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES

Much colder temperatures will move into the region this weekend with daytime high temperatures dropping 20 degrees or more, between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon. Cold air will remain over the region through much of next week. Freezes are likely in lower elevation valleys early next week with the best chances Sunday and Tuesday mornings.

BREEZY WINDS
Breezy winds are expected Friday and Saturday with some travel and lake recreation impacts possible. Gusts will generally be in the 30-40 mph range through much of the region Friday, continuing through Saturday south of I-80. Ridge winds are expected to peak on Friday with ridge winds gusting to around 60 mph. Areas of critical fire weather are possible in the Eastern Sierra where vegetation remains quite dry.

RAIN AND SNOW SATURDAY
A band of rain and snow is expected along the cold front Saturday with light snow accumulations potentially impacting travel over Sierra passes Saturday late afternoon into the evening. Precipitation may be heavy for a brief period, but overall precipitation totals will be on the moderate side (0.1-0.3") as the initial cold front moves through the region quickly. Snow levels will drop rapidly behind the cold front with light accumulations of snow possible down to 5000-6000 feet Saturday evening.

ADDITIONAL RAIN AND SNOW POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY
Additional relatively low elevation snow is possible late Sunday night into Monday as a secondary front moves into the region. Snow levels could be as low as 4500-5500 feet with this secondary front, but predictability is still low regarding this aspect of the forecast, so keep tuned to weather.gov/reno for updates. Right now it appears that parts of Northeast California around Susanville and Lassen National Park have the best chance of snow issues Monday morning.

Forecast:

Friday - Sunny, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.

Friday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a southwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Saturday - A slight chance of rain before 11am, then rain and snow likely. Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half-inch possible.

Saturday Night - Rain and snow likely before 11pm, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Sunday - A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Sunday Night - A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Monday - A chance of snow showers, mainly after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

Monday Night - A chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 21.