Lake Tahoe receives much needed rain and snow; more expected

Lake Tahoe has received much needed rain and snow from a wet Pacific storm on both Friday and Saturday, while more is expected late Sunday afternoon.

Heavenly Mountain Resort received 4-8” of new snow overnight Friday and opened two additional trails on Saturday. Sierra at Tahoe has received 10" of new snow while Kirkwood reports 9" of fresh snow. The big winner of this storm, so far, is Mt. Rose Ski Resort who are reporting two feet of new snow.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in Lake Tahoe from 4 p.m. Sunday through 4 p.m. Monday.

* Timing: Rain will turn to snow Sunday afternoon starting as early as 4 p.m. The main window for heavy snowfall will be 10 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday.

* Snow accumulations: 6 to 12 inches of snow expected above 7,000 feet and up to 18 inches of snow above 8,000 ft. A few inches of snow are possible below 6,500 ft.

* Snow levels: Around 8,000 ft Sunday afternoon dropping to below 6,500 feet by Monday morning.

* Impacts: Wet roads will become snow covered creating hazardous travel conditions over Sierra passes Sunday night. Be prepare for delays over the Tahoe area passes, including Donner Pass, Echo Summit, Brockway Summit, Luther Pass, Carson Pass, Spooner Summit and Mt. Rose Hwy.

A lake wind advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday. Winds will be from the Southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. The strongest winds will be Sunday evening.

Waves on the lake will be 2 to 4 feet with the highest mid-lake to the eastern shore.

Skies will be mostly sunny by Tuesday, with highs expected to be 44.