California earned a blue sky respite Wednesday following another atmospheric river that showered the state and heavily impacted the Sierra Nevada, adding to the snowiest year to date in Lake Tahoe.
The National Weather Service predicts a weekend system to hit the Tahoe region as early as Saturday afternoon, which could spell trouble for travelers looking to return home from the mountains this weekend. The agency advises travelers to plan for “widespread precipitation early next week with heavy mountain snow.”
“We are expecting a weak storm to impact the region. Nothing in magnitude to what we’ve been dealing with in the last several systems but just enough to cause some travel issues in area roadways,” the National Weather Service’s Scott McGuire told SFGATE.
“People need to pay close attention,” he added. “It does not take a lot of snow to cause issues on the roadway.”
The current break in weather suggests that a good time to leave for Tahoe is either today or tomorrow, and to return as soon as Saturday.
On Tuesday, Caltrans announced that chain controls were dropped on Interstate 80 and cautioned travelers to watch for slick road conditions.
The weather service predicts a chance of snow, with less than an inch expected to fall on Interstate 80 as early as Saturday morning, with increasing odds of a heavier storm moving in through Wednesday. McGuire said they’re anticipating a “copious amount of precipitation,” which would translate to several feet of snow at higher elevations.
For winter revelers seeking a chance to visit Tahoe this weekend, time is of the essence.
“The window is right now,” McGuire said. “Next week is back to full winter and it can get very dangerous very quickly.”
The unusual repetition of heavy storms this winter is causing a variety of issues in Tahoe, such as the recent closure of a third grocery store in South Lake Tahoe due to structural damage from the snow. McGuire advised any travelers to the region to prepare for unexpected power outages and even road closures that could last multiple days.
“I’ve been here for 19 years, and this is the wildest winter I’ve seen as a meteorologist,” he said. “It would behoove people to pay attention to what Caltrans, CHP, ski resorts and towns are messaging.”
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