Two more weather systems heading to Lake Tahoe: Rain and snow expected

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The week is starting out beautiful: blue skies, great powder and mile temperatures, but it won't last long.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno, light valley rain and Sierra snow and rain will develop Tuesday and Tuesday night, with some travel impacts possible for Sierra and northeast California passes. A second system, which is much stronger, will bring lower valley rain, Sierra rain and snow, and gusty winds starting on Wednesday and continuing until a cold front moves through late Thursday into Friday morning.

Snow levels will start out fairly high, between 7000 and 8500 feet, Wednesday and Wednesday night before falling Thursday night into Friday with a cold front. Several feet of snowfall are likely in the high Sierra by Friday morning, according to NWS. Snowfall in the Tahoe Basin, and in Mono County below 8000 feet, is more uncertain and will depend on how fast snow levels fall. Still, significant travel impacts for the main Sierra passes including Interstate 80 and Highway 50 are likely on Thursday, continuing into Friday morning...with impacts to Highway 395 in Mono County possible by Thursday night.

The forecast from NWS Reno:

Today - Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight - Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. South wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday - A chance of rain and snow after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tuesday Night - Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday - Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday Night - Rain. Low around 33. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Thursday - Rain before 11am, then rain and snow. High near 41. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night - A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Breezy.

Friday - A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 33.

Friday Night - A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Saturday - A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 32.

Saturday Night - A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15.

Sunday - A slight chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 35.