Sierra prepares for weekend wintry blast; Up to 3 feet of new snow expected
SAN FRANCISCO -- A slow-moving low pressure system advanced toward Northern California Friday, set to deliver weekend rain showers in the Bay Area and blizzard conditions in the Sierra.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Lake Tahoe region from Friday night through Sunday night.
"Another round of heavy snow appears likely for the Sierra Nevada by late Saturday and into Sunday as the bulk of the moisture associated with the system pushes onshore," forecasters predicted.
How much new snow are we talking about? The weather service said from 8 to 18 inches at the lower elevations around Lake Tahoe to up to 3 feet above 7,000 feet.
With winds gusting from 40-70 mph, the whiteout blizzard conditions will make travel "very difficult to impossible."
The weekend storm follows on the heels of a storm Thursday that dumped nearly 2 feet of snow at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab.
The ski resorts got even more. Sierra-at-Tahoe received 43 inches, Palisades Tahoe 21 and Kirkwood 20.
"Our next storm is still on track to be colder, slower and wetter than today's storm," service forecasters in Reno said late Thursday.
On Thursday there were multiple spinouts and a jackknifed semitrailer on I-80 west of Reno forcing various closures throughout the day. Travel had resumed in both directions Thursday night but the California Highway Patrol warned the roads were slick.
"Personnel are still working hard in clearing multiple vehicles stuck over Donner Summit so slow down!!" highway patrol tweeted from Truckee, California, east of the I-80 summit.
Mount Rose Ski Tahoe reported about a foot of snow at the top of the resort. At Lake Tahoe, all schools were closed Thursday on the north shore at Incline Village and at South Lake Tahoe.
The Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee issued a backcountry avalanche warning through Friday for the Central Sierra Nevada, including the Tahoe area.
"Feet of new snow and strong winds will overload an already weak snowpack and result in very dangerous avalanche conditions in the mountains," the center said.
