The National Weather Service in Reno heightened its winter storm warning for Tahoe over the upcoming President’s Day weekend.
A more significant winter storm is heading to the upper elevations, bringing up to 4 feet of snow to the Tahoe slopes by midweek.
The storm is one “large circulation” with a couple of different waves spinning off from it, Heather Richards, meteorologist at Reno NWS, said.
The strongest band will set in on Sunday afternoon. Above 7,000 feet, there is a potential for the wave to drop up to 2 feet of snow before it clears out Monday night.
A second wave sets in Tuesday afternoon and into Wednesday morning, bringing the possibility of an additional 2 feet.
Winds could reach 45 mph in the valleys and 100 mph over the ridges, according to a winter storm warning that runs from 4 p.m. Sunday through 10 a.m. Wednesday.
At the lake level, more than half a foot of snow could fall through midweek.
Reno-Sparks could see three-quarters to one inch of rain during the storms, with wind gusts up to 40 mph on President’s Day, slowing to 30 mph in the evening.