Weather service warns of dangerous conditions for Tahoe

By Kathryn Reed

Snow turned to rain Friday and is continuing on the South Shore this morning.

The National Weather Service in Reno says the white stuff is going to return today to lake level this afternoon, with the heaviest snowfall tonight through Sunday when it could be 2 to 4 inches per hour.

“Overall snowfall totals of 5 to 10 feet are likely in the Sierra above 7,000 feet which will significantly increase avalanche danger,” NWS officials said. “Dangerous and life threatening conditions are expected in the Sierra due to rapid snow accumulations … near zero visibility and strong winds.”

The Sierra Avalanche Center lists the conditions as “extreme” for today.

The nasty weather on Dec. 17 had law enforcement scrambling to keep up with the wrecks and spinouts.

Between 6am and noon Friday the Nevada Highway Patrol handled 47 accidents in Northern Nevada. And the accidents continued throughout the day.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 4pm Monday. One to 3 feet of snow is still expect at lake level.

Here are some of the storm totals the NWS has: Truckee and Tahoe City received 15 inches of snow as of 6:43am Saturday, Garnderville 1 foot as of 11:23pm Friday, and Reno 6 inches as of 11:30pm Friday.

Don’t put the shovel or blower away because snow is in the forecast for the coming week. The highs will be in the 30s and the lows in the 20s in the Lake Tahoe Basin.