Snow showers in the forecast this week above Lake Tahoe

A pattern change will take place this upcoming week bringing cooler temperatures, chances for rain and high elevation snow showers above Lake Tahoe as well as lowering snow levels, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

The block which has been sitting over the Eastern Pacific the past couple of weeks will transition as the area of high pressure amplifies and then is pinched north into the Gulf of Alaska. This will allow the area of low pressure to drift down the California coast before shifting inland into the Lower Colorado River Valley by midweek and then open and lift into Utah by the end of the week.

Showers are possible along the Northern Sierra starting Monday, transitioning south Tuesday into Wednesday. As the low makes its way inland, wrap around showers are possible in the Southern Sierra and much of Western Nevada Thursday into Friday.

Snow levels may reach 8,500 feet around the Reno/Lake Tahoe area and 8000 feet in Mono County. High temperatures in Western Nevada will drop into the 60s and low 70s and in the High Sierra they may only be in the 20s to mid 30s. Chances for showers will end by Friday evening as the low ejects eastward, but models are depicting a favorable jet stream position to bring additional systems into the Sierra and Western Nevada.