Highway 89 around Emerald Bay will be closed for next few days. Photo/Caltrans

A snowslide on Wednesday and a storm that should bring additional snowfall to the area over the next few days prompted Caltrans to close Highway 89 around Emerald Bay.

The March 21 slide dumped snow as high as 15 feet that stretched 160 feet.

Rain in the Lake Tahoe area is expected to turn to snow on Thursday. Lght snow is expected at pass levels through Thursday morning, with heavy snow possible beginning Thursday afternoon.

A colder system will drop in Friday night with heavier snow at lower elevations.

The biggest travel impacts for mountain travelers will likely be Friday night, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.

The storm is expected to continue into Saturday and bring up to 18 inches of snow to Echo Summit. Donner and Echo summits are expected to be severely impacted by this storm. Gusty winds are also are expected with this storm, possibly creating white-out conditions.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report