Parts of the Sierra Nevada could get up to a foot of snow on the highest peaks this weekend, with Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and the mountain stretches of Interstate 80 and Highway 50 all under advisories.
The National Weather Service issued Winter Weather Advisories on Thursday, Oct. 29, for much of the Sierra Nevada. Three NWS offices, in Sacramento, Reno and Hanford, put out the alerts, and all of them run from 8 a.m. PDT on Saturday, Oct. 31, to 7 a.m. PST on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The end time is in standard time because daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, in the middle of the storm.
Northern Sierra
NWS Sacramento’s advisory covers the Sierra Nevada above 5,000 feet in Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, including I-80 and Highway 50.
Forecasters expect snow above 7,000 feet, with up to 8 inches and as much as 12 inches on the highest peaks. Up to 2 inches could fall as low as 6,000 feet.
Snow levels will start at 7,000 to 8,000 feet on Saturday and drop to 6,000 to 7,000 feet Saturday night into Sunday. The heaviest snow is expected Saturday evening into Sunday.
Lake Tahoe and Mono County
In the Greater Lake Tahoe Area, NWS Reno is calling for 2 to 5 inches of snow above 7,000 feet, with up to 9 inches along the highest peaks. Wind gusts could reach 50 mph.
Mono County, on the east side of the Sierra, could get 3 to 6 inches above 8,000 feet and up to 12 inches on the highest peaks, with gusts up to 45 mph. The NWS said the wind could bring down tree branches.
In both areas, the heaviest snow is expected late Saturday night.
Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia
Farther south, NWS Hanford’s advisory covers Yosemite National Park outside of the valley, the Upper San Joaquin River, Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge, and Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks.
It forecasts 4 to 7 inches between 7,500 and 9,500 feet and up to 11 inches above 9,500 feet.
Driving Over the Sierra This Weekend
All three advisories carry the same message: “Plan on slippery road conditions.”
That matters most on Saturday night and early Sunday, when the heaviest snow is forecast and snow levels drop. Anyone driving I-80 or Highway 50 to or from Tahoe for Halloween weekend should plan around that window.
What About Utah and Colorado?
As of Thursday afternoon, the NWS had no winter weather alerts in effect for Utah or Colorado.
