California’s first big winter snowstorm headed for Sierra Nevada
Lake Tahoe >> It’s only Halloween, but winter is on the way.
Two storm systems moving out of the Gulf of Alaska are on track to bring the first substantial snow of the 2017-18 winter season to the Sierra Nevada, starting Friday, and widespread rainfall to the Central Coast over the weekend.
Forecasters said Monday that gusty winds and 1 to 2 feet of snow are likely Saturday and Sunday along California’s main mountain passes, including Donner Pass near Lake Tahoe, Tioga Pass at Yosemite, Ebbetts Pass and Carson Pass, with perhaps a foot along the shoreline of Lake Tahoe this weekend.
“There’s a potential for chain requirements, travel delays and possible road closures,” said Chris Hintz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
But fear not, trick-or-treaters. The weather should be dry for Halloween on Tuesday night, with temperatures in the high 50s and 60s in the afternoon and low 60s and 50s by early evening.
“It’s going to be a good mild, autumn day,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga. “No wind. No rain.”
