Winter storm warning issued for Truckee-Tahoe; Heavy snow expected Tuesday
Provided / Joey Griffo
TRUCKEE, Calif. — The National Weather Service has upgraded to a winter storm warning for the Truckee-Tahoe region for heavy snowfall expected to start Tuesday morning.
The warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Tuesday and lasts for 24 hours for 8 to 16 inches of snow for Truckee-Tahoe communities and 16 to 26 inches above 7,000 feet. Winds will gust up to 45 mph with Sierra ridge gusts in excess of 80 mph.
The service says this storm may be a two-part event with the first, main portion, late Monday through Tuesday with a brief break until the second portion arrives which will primarily be additional snow showers Wednesday afternoon into the evening.
Travel in the mountains is not recommended during the storm and will be difficult to impossible at times, especially over Donner Pass and Echo Summit, with whiteout conditions and considerable drifting snow possible, the service said. Those traveling should prepare to be stuck in their vehicles for many hours with road closures possible.
For road conditions, call 511 or visit https://www.nvroads.com or http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
The snow will also exacerbate possible snow load issues on structures.
Following the storm, chances for light showers are expected to continue Thursday and Friday and possibly continuing into the weekend.
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