TAHOE BASIN — Despite national weather extremes in recent weeks, Tahoe has remained remarkably calm. The basin will see some snowfall Saturday and Sunday, though little snow accumulation is expected currently.

“We’re expecting a cold storm Saturday that will bring some snow to the area, but it’s not looking like a huge snowmaker,” Tyler Salas, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “It could bring anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of snow around the Tahoe basin. We’re looking at maybe an inch at lake level, and some of the higher peaks might see upwards of 6 inches, but most of that will be reserved for higher terrain further south.” 

The official forecast notes that “areas north of US-50/I-80 are projected to receive 2″ or less, but this will likely change as we get closer to Saturday. Northeast CA, as well as northern Washoe look to be completely missed by this system, with low chances for any accumulations.”

This system is the first snowfall in the basin in a few weeks.

“We’ve been in a prolonged period of dry weather,” says Salas. “Most of the storms we’ve seen haven’t been producing much precipitation, especially snowfall, even as we’ve seen increased freezes in the Sierra.”

Ski resorts across the basin are not optimistic about the potential for new snow, with many forecasting 0″ of snowfall in the next 7 days. OpenSnow, an independent weather forecasting agency, is more optimistic, suggesting Heavenly may see up to 4″ of snow this week. 

The system is not expected to impact travel, but as always, check road conditions before traveling.

Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.