NOAA has issued a Special Weather Statement that is forecasting 4-6″ of snow for Lake Tahoe, CA/NV on Saturday & Sunday.

Snow levels are forecast to start at 6,000′ and drop as low as 4,500′ by Sunday night.

Tahoe has already seen 2 snowfalls this season and Tahoe is still waiting on a big storm to get the season’s snowpack started.

Current Snowfall Forecast Saturday & Sunday:

• Carson Pass:  6-8″
• Lassen Park:  6-8″
• Donner Pass:  4-6″
• Ebbetts Pass:  4-6″
• Kingvale: 4-6″
• Echo Pass: 3-4″
• Sonora Pass:  3-4″
• Tioga Pass:  1″

Snow levels are expected to drop as low as about 5000 feet around
Reno/Tahoe and as low as 4000 feet near the Oregon border by
Saturday night.

RAIN AND SNOW SATURDAY- A band of rain and snow is expected along
the cold front Saturday with light snow accumulations potentially
impacting travel over Sierra passes Saturday late afternoon into
the evening. Precipitation may be heavy for a brief period, but
overall precipitation totals will be on the moderate side
(0.1-0.3") as the initial cold front moves through the region
quickly. Snow levels will drop rapidly behind the cold front with
light accumulations of snow possible down to 5000-6000 feet
Saturday evening.

ADDITIONAL RAIN AND SNOW POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY -
Additional relatively low elevation snow is possible late Sunday
night into Monday as a secondary front moves into the region.
Snow levels could be as low as 4500-5500 feet with this secondary
front, but predictability is still low regarding this aspect of
the forecast, so keep tuned to weather.gov/reno for updates. Right
now it appears that parts of Northeast California around
Susanville and Lassen National Park have the best chance of snow
issues Monday morning.

- NOAA, Reno NV, 9/27/19

Special Weather Statement for California

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service RENO NV
206 PM PDT Thu Sep 26 2019

Surprise Valley California-Lassen-Eastern Plumas-
Eastern Sierra Counties-Greater Lake Tahoe Area-Mono County-
Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties-Greater Reno-Carson City-
Minden Area-Western Nevada Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake-
Northern Washoe County-
Including the cities of Cedarville, Eagleville, Fort Bidwell,
Portola, Susanville, Westwood, Sierraville, Loyalton,
South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Truckee, Markleeville, Bridgeport,
Coleville, Lee Vining, Mammoth Lakes, Hawthorne, Yerington,
Smith Valley, Mina, Schurz, Stateline, Glenbrook,
Incline Village, Sparks, Verdi, Gardnerville, Virginia City,
Fernley, Fallon, Lovelock, Silver Springs, Nixon, Imlay, Empire,
and Gerlach
...STRONG COLD FRONT THIS WEEKEND WITH WELL BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES INTO NEXT WEEK...

A strong cold front will move through the region Saturday bringing
a dramatic change to the weather with breezy winds, rain, snow,
and much colder weather returning for the weekend. Now is the time
to prepare for winter travel if you have plans to drive over the
mountains, and to prepare your garden and irrigation for possible
freezing temperatures.

MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES - Much colder temperatures will move
into the region this weekend with daytime high temperatures
dropping 20 degrees or more, between Friday afternoon and Saturday
afternoon. Cold air will remain over the region through much of
next week. Freezes are likely in lower elevation valleys early
next week with the best chances Sunday and Tuesday mornings.

BREEZY WINDS - Breezy winds are expected Friday and Saturday with
some travel and lake recreation impacts possible. Gusts will
generally be in the 30-40 mph range through much of the region
Friday, continuing through Saturday south of I-80. Ridge winds are
expected to peak on Friday with ridge winds gusting to around 60
mph. Areas of critical fire weather are possible in the Eastern
Sierra where vegetation remains quite dry.

RAIN AND SNOW SATURDAY- A band of rain and snow is expected along
the cold front Saturday with light snow accumulations potentially
impacting travel over Sierra passes Saturday late afternoon into
the evening. Precipitation may be heavy for a brief period, but
overall precipitation totals will be on the moderate side
(0.1-0.3") as the initial cold front moves through the region
quickly. Snow levels will drop rapidly behind the cold front with
light accumulations of snow possible down to 5000-6000 feet
Saturday evening.

ADDITIONAL RAIN AND SNOW POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY -
Additional relatively low elevation snow is possible late Sunday
night into Monday as a secondary front moves into the region.
Snow levels could be as low as 4500-5500 feet with this secondary
front, but predictability is still low regarding this aspect of
the forecast, so keep tuned to weather.gov/reno for updates. Right
now it appears that parts of Northeast California around
Susanville and Lassen National Park have the best chance of snow
issues Monday morning.