Biggest snowstorms of the year coming to Tahoe

Colder temperatures and a deluge of precipitation from the atmospheric river blowing across Northern California this week may join forces to deliver the biggest snowstorms of the year to Lake Tahoe. 

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings across the Sierra Nevada that begin Monday morning, holding until Wednesday morning. The timing is staggered as the storm travels, but in Lake Tahoe, the winter storm warning begins at 1 p.m. on Monday and remains in effect until 7 a.m. on Wednesday. After a brief lull on Wednesday, another blizzard is forecast to arrive Thursday and last through Friday.

“The long and short of it is, we’re seeing a one-two punch here,” said Matthew Chyba, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Reno.

Chyba advised travelers bound for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada this week to time their drives in between storms. 

“If you were trying to get across the Sierra, [Wednesday] might be the best time to do it,” Chyba said. “If not, you may have to wait until the weekend because Thursday, Friday may be another snowy storm there.”

Compared to the storm over the weekend — which saw rain at high elevations — this next wave of storms is colder and expected to bring a lot more snow to the Sierra Nevada, from lake level in the Tahoe Basin to the Sierra Crest.

The forecast calls for 1 to 3 feet of snow above 7,000 feet in elevation before tapering off on Wednesday morning. Those snowfall totals bump up to 3 to 4 feet at the highest peaks along the Sierra Crest. Snow will likely also drop to lake level in the Tahoe Basin, with 6 to 12 inches expected. 

Due to the atmospheric river, the snow is expected to be saturated with moisture — the kind of snow that falls in large snowflakes, which stack up relatively quickly. It’s exactly the type of snow the Sierra Nevada needs after a dry January and last weekend’s rainstorm. 

“We’re expecting heavy snow,” Chyba said.

Gusty conditions are also on the agenda. Chyba said the forecast shows wind speeds of up to 90 mph along the Sierra Crest, with 35 to 45 mph winds in lower valleys and in the Tahoe Basin.

The storm is slated to move north to south, and soon after it reaches Tahoe, it’s expected to arrive in the Eastern Sierra, where the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is located.

“We will be seeing a good amount of snow down there as well, and it will probably be just as windy, too,” Chyba said.

The forecast for the second storm is still a few days out, but Chyba said the potential is there for several more feet of snow to drop before the weekend. He said the forecast could bring another 1 to 3 feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada on Thursday and Friday, with a 10% chance of more than 30 inches of snow at lake level in the Tahoe Basin.

“[There are] better chances up at higher elevations,” Chyba said.

South Lake Tahoe has a 50% chance to see at least a foot of snow in the city, he added. 

“We’re going to be keeping an eye on that one, definitely,” Chyba said.