An Atmospheric River will bring significant rain and high mountain snow to the region through Thursday. An Areal Flood Watch is in effect through Thursday, and will mostly affect the smaller creeks and drainages. Snow levels will be quite high, only lowering to about the 7,500’ elevation Thursday. By Early Friday morning, that snow level will probably fall to the Lake Tahoe elevation (around 6,200’), but by that time the heaviest precipitation will have passed on to the south.

Total snowfall amounts will of course depend on the elevation. Above 8,000’, snowfall totals could exceed several feet, while it is unlikely there will be more than trace accumulations at the lake itself.

As for rainfall totals, there is a possibility some valley locations will accumulate an inch or more of rainfall, with significantly more on the west side of the valley expected than on the east side.

Once Friday arrives, temperatures will cool to the upper 40s as the skies partially clear. Saturday should be dry and partly sunny, but expect a hard freeze (with lows in the upper teens to twenties) Saturday morning.