A winter storm moving into the Sierra is expected to bring as much as a foot (30 centimeters) of snow to upper elevations of the mountains around Lake Tahoe by Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory Friday effective through 10 a.m. Saturday for the Tahoe-area and parts of eastern California and western Nevada.
Only a few inches of snow is expected at lake level but up to 8 inches (20 cm) is possible on mountain passes above 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) and up to 12 inches (30 cm) above 7,000 feet (2,133 meters). Chain or snow tire restrictions are possible over the passes.
“Travel could be difficult,” the service said.
Small boats or kayaks will be prone to capsizing as wind gusts up to 30 mph (48 kph) will send waves as high as 4 feet (1.2 meters) crashing onto Lake Tahoe’s shores.
Up to 4 inches (10 cm) of snow is expected in northern Washoe and Pershing counties, and in eastern California’s Lassen and Plumas counties.
Another storm system is expected to arrive Sunday into Sunday night.