The potential of slow-moving thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada on Tuesday has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch in and around the Lake Tahoe area.
The watch is in effect from noon to 11 p.m. Tuesday for the greater Tahoe basin, including Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Incline Village and Tahoe City. It also extends south to Mammoth and east to Reno.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of creeks, streams, urban areas, burn scars, and areas near steep terrain,” the weather service said. “Area rivers and streams could see rapid rises and increased sediment loads with localized heavy rain, but no river flooding is expected.”
Not everywhere will see flooding — some locations may not even get wet — due to the hit-or-miss nature of popup thunderstorms. An unusually humid air mass with moisture levels in the atmosphere ranging from 200% to 270% of normal will juice up any thunderstorms that do form. A half-inch of rain or more could fall in an hour under the heaviest storms…