Whittell High and Zephyr Cove Elementary schools will open one hour later than usual because of the snow. That means the buses will arrive one hour later, too, to pick up kids.

In the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District it is a snow day for Donner Trail Elementary and all Donner Summit students. All other schools in the district are open.

Snow is covering the streets of Lake Tahoe on Feb. 6. About 4 inches fell in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN

Lake Tahoe Unified is open.

Highway 89 around Emerald Bay is closed for avalanche control. Most other roads in the basin and leading in or out of it require chains or four-wheel drive.

The wind is gusting at lake level, causing whiteout conditions. It will be worse as one drives over the mountain passes.

While it will be a powder day at the ski resorts with more than 6 inches falling on some slopes, wind is likely to cause problems for chairlifts reaching higher terrain at the more exposed resorts.

For those hitting the backcountry today, the Sierra Avalanche Center is saying conditions are considerable.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Lake Tahoe Basin through 10 tonight, so expect snow all day. The National Weather Service in Reno is calling for a 50 percent chance of snow on Thursday and 30 percent on Friday. Sun will be S word to use on the weekend.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report