Wind, winter weather advisories issued for Truckee-Tahoe
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Compared to the winter storms Truckee-Tahoe has seen this season, the incoming storm on Sunday will not pack that punch, but it still could drop close to a foot of snow at higher elevations creating travel impacts, especially for Monday morning.
The National Weather Service in Reno extended the lake wind advisory through 7 p.m. Sunday and have also issued a winter weather advisory that goes into effect at 7 p.m. Sunday and lasts through 11 a.m. Monday.
Southwest winds are expected between 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph that will create hazardous conditions for smaller boats and kayaks, including waves up to 4 feet. Winds could gust up to 90 mph along Sierra ridges.
For the weather advisory, 2 to 6 inches of snow is possible for Truckee-Tahoe communities and 4 to 10 inches is possible above 7,000 feet. The heaviest snowfall and strongest winds are expected Sunday evening.
Snowfall will be likely this afternoon north of Lake Tahoe between 1-4 p.m. and then become likely (70%) in the basin between 4-7 p.m.
The service said the snow will be drier with a 50-60% chance that snowfall rates above 7,000 feet approach 1.5 inches per hour this afternoon into the evening.
“Be prepared for reduced visibility in blowing snow, especially in the evening and overnight,” the service said. “Even light snowfall causes major travel delays, especially during periods of high traffic volume. Be sure to allow extra time to reach your destination.”
For road conditions, call 511 or visit https://www.nvroads.com or http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
Behind the storm on Monday, hit and miss snow showers are possible throughout the region and temperatures will be about 20-25 degrees below early April averages. The high is not expected to reach 30 on Monday. Add on the winds and it will feel more like mid-winter than spring.
As the week continues, the service said temperatures will start to moderate back to near average by Thursday then a possible ridge builds in the western U.S. by the end of the week into next weekend bringing drier, warmer weather.
Bill Rozak is editor for the Sierra Sun. He may be reached at brozak@swiftcom.com.
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