Tie-down the lawn furniture, secure the garbage cans and bring in the extra bundle of firewood because it’s going to be windy, cold and snowy at Lake Tahoe over the next few days.

An intense cold front will move rapidly through the region Friday night and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno, which has issued a high wind watch. Strong downslope winds are possible along the Eastern Sierra from Reno and Lake Tahoe southward into Mono and Mineral counties.

Meanwhile, the weather service reports the Sierra could fetch between 1 to 2 feet of snow between Saturday and Wednesday.

"We will see decent snowfall accumulations but what you're not going to see is a classic Sierra storm where you get hammered for a day and then it clears out," said Scott McGuire, meteorologist for the weather service. "This storm is not that type of scenario. It wil be a prolonged event through Wednesday."

Southwest winds of 25 to 45 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph are possible Friday night into the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning, according to the weather service.

Travelers, especially those in high profile vehicles, will be impacted by strong winds Friday night and early Saturday morning. This includes Interstate 80 and highways 50 and 89.

The latest National Weather Service forecast

Today: Sunny, with a high near 45. Calm wind.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 44. Windy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to between 30 and 35 mph. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph.

Friday Night: Snow likely, mainly after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Strong and damaging winds, with a west wind between 85 and 95 mph, with gusts as high as 140 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Strong and damaging winds, with a west wind 70 to 75 mph decreasing to between 40 and 45 mph. Winds could gust as high as 115 mph.

Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy and windy, with a low around 9.

Sunday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 17. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 9.

Monday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 17.

Monday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 6.

Tuesday: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 19.

Tuesday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 9.

Wednesday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20.