Weather service upgrades to winter storm warning; 4 feet of snow possible for Tahoe

Provided/Alertwildfire.org
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Friday will be a bluebird day on the slopes, the first day of school this week for South Lake Tahoe students and a final day to prepare for another major storm set to impact Lake Tahoe this weekend.
Lake Tahoe Unified School District said schools will be on a two-hour delay on Friday.
“Thank you for your patience through this incredibly intense week of snow,” the district said. “We know that this has not been easy on the community and we are missing our students. Our crews have worked tirelessly to clear our campuses of snow. We have worked closely with the city and county snow removal representatives. As you can imagine they are overwhelmed and overloaded and we appreciate all their work.”
Another round of heavy snow and strong winds will make travel in the Sierra almost impossible Saturday into next week, the National Weather Service in Reno said.
The service has upgraded to a winter storm warning that goes into effect at 10 a.m. Saturday and lasts until 4 a.m. Monday for snow accumulations up to 4 feet above 7,000 feet and 1 to 2 feet for lake communities.
“If you come to the Sierra this weekend, you may not be able to leave for a while,” the warning said. “If you become stuck in your vehicle, rescue may be significantly delayed.”
Placer County has issued a warning to visitors who may be coming to Tahoe this weekend asking them to be patient with other drivers on icy roads and to bring their own supplies.
“The region has been cut off from supply shipments for several days, which means fuel is low and groceries supplies are limited,” the county said in a news release. “We are advising visitors to bring their own emergency supplies and additional fuel to ensure they are prepared for a worst-case scenario.”
The service is also advising homeowners that additional snow loading on top of a very deep existing snowpack may create unusual hazards including, but not limited to, structural instabilities, fire hydrant access problems, delayed first responders and shelter in place orders.
If traveling, be prepared to be stuck for many hours and bring an emergency kit that includes extra food, water, clothing and tire chains.For road conditions, call 511 or visit https://www.nvroads.com or http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

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