Snow is dumping on Tahoe with more on the way - SFGATE

Snow dumped connected California's Sierra Nevada connected Thursday arsenic a acold beforehand swept the region. 

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab reported receiving 5.7 inches of snowfall overnight, and it's expecting different 20 to 30 inches Thursday and done the weekend, "the cleanable commencement to winter," the laboratory wrote connected Twitter.

— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 1, 2022

Dec. 1, 7:35 a.m. Officials warned of unsafe driving conditions and avalanches successful California's Sierra Nevada and Tahoe connected Thursday greeting arsenic a cold front slammed the upland range. A 2nd strategy is expected to propulsion snowfall done the weekend, the National Weather Service said. 

"The snowfall is falling," said Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the upwind service. "Chain power is happening. We've seen a fewer reports of skis resorts reporting their archetypal mates inches of snow. It'll heap up arsenic the time goes on. There volition beryllium a play successful the adjacent fewer hours with precise dense snowfall rates that volition apt hap earlier 8 a.m. to noon. We're talking 2 to 4 inches per hour. Today is going to beryllium a truly atrocious question day."

An avalanche ticker was issued for the Central Sierra, including the Tahoe Basin, connected Thursday greeting and remains successful effect done 7 a.m. Friday. A watch, which advises radical to beryllium prepared, is little terrible than a warning. 

"Heavy snowfall and gale-force winds volition overload the anemic snowpack and make precise unsafe avalanche conditions," the Sierra Avalanche Center said. "Widespread, ample earthy and human-triggered avalanches are precise apt successful exposed and sheltered terrain astatine each elevations."

The halfway advised radical to avoid traveling on, beneath oregon adjacent steep slopes. 

Officials are informing of unsafe driving conditions crossed the Sierra done the weekend. Chain power went into effect connected Highway 80 betwixt Truckee and Eagle Lakes astatine 3:15 a.m.

"Back-to-back wintertime storms volition bring periods of precise hard to intolerable question implicit Sierra passes done Sunday," the upwind work said. 

Meteorologists are forecasting dense snowfall Thursday with showers tapering disconnected Friday, offering a imaginable model for travel. Saturday greeting is apt to beryllium wide and dry, but a 2nd circular of snowfall is expected to deed that evening and proceed into Sunday, the upwind work said.

"The main happening that has changed since yesterday is the timing of our wintertime tempest warning," Rowe said. "Now for the Sierra, the wintertime tempest informing expires contiguous [instead of Friday morning]. Most of Friday should beryllium good. Sunday could beryllium a challenging time for folks trying to permission the Sierra."

The upwind work shared transverse sections for respective well-traveled highways, showing however overmuch snowfall is expected to heap up astatine cardinal locations on the roadways Wednesday done Friday.

Along Highway 80, for example, Alta is forecast to measurement 6 to 8 inches, Donner Summit 18 to 24 and Truckee 12 to 18. On Highway 120, the Yosemite National Park entranceway could grounds 12 to 18 inches, Tenaya Lake 24 to 30 and Tioga Pass 18 to 24.

The 2nd tempest arriving connected Saturday is expected to bring different fewer feet of snow, said Rowe. "The highest elevations whitethorn spot up to 5 feet combined crossed some storms," helium said. "At walk level, we'll spot 3 to 4 feet crossed those 2 storms."