TAHOE CITY, Calif. — Thunderstorms could form Sunday afternoon bringing wind, rain, hail and possible lightning strikes to the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a special statement that calls for thunderstorms to begin forming in the late morning to early afternoon in Mono, Mineral, Lyon, Douglas, and El Dorado counties, south of U.S. Highway 50.

The service said coverage will then increase through the afternoon northward across the Lake Tahoe Basin and much of western Nevada, finally lifting northward into northeast California, northwest Nevada, and the basin and range during the evening, diminishing after 11 p.m.

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The primary hazards from thunderstorms will be frequent cloud-to-ground lightning, gusty winds of 40-plus mph, heavy rainfall, and small hail, the statement said..

“Keep your eyes on the sky today and limit outdoor recreation activities before 10 am to be safe,” the service said. “Lightning can strike from up to 10 miles away. When thunder roars, head indoors. See a flash, dash inside.”

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The high for Sunday is expected to be in the low 60s and jumping up into the upper 60s on Monday and into the 70s for the rest of the week.

Bill Rozak is editor for the Sierra Sun. He may be reached at brozak@swiftcom.com.