Here’s when you should leave for Tahoe if you want to beat the snow storm

Whether you’re going to the mountains or the coast for the weekend, back-to-back storms will make their presence felt between now and Sunday, the National Weather Service warns. And your window for Tahoe travel will be slim. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in Northern California this weekend.

Traveling to the Sierra and Lake Tahoe

Forecasters and Caltrans officials are warning motorists to steer clear of the Sierra, issuing a winter storm warning from 4 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday for areas above 2,500 feet.

If you haven’t already left, time’s running out for getting to the mountains. According to National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth, the best time for motorists to drive up the Sierra is before the evening as conditions will only get worse.

“Earlier is better,” Kurth said from the service’s Sacramento office. “Later tonight, we’ll start seeing the heavy snow.”

Kurth said the first storm will not be as intense as what’s to come Saturday, as the second, colder storm makes its way up the mountain.

“There’s really no break. The worse conditions will be Saturday evening and into the early morning hours on Sunday,” he said, adding that traveling during these times will be “very difficult, maybe impossible.”

Forecasters expect 2 to 4 feet of snow, with some spots seeing up to 5 feet, above 3,000 feet, which will likely bring chain controls, restrictions and closures to major roadways.

Whiteout conditions are predicted for Interstate 80 from Gold Run to the Nevada state line and Highway 50 from before Pollock Pines to points east.

High temperatures will range from the mid to upper 20s with overnight lows reaching single digits.

Coming home Sunday afternoon likely rough

Getting down the mountain may be as difficult, Kurth said, because while the storm’s tail won’t have a lot of precipitation stored up, the cold air and winds coming with it Sunday could bring whiteout conditions.

Winds along the ridge are expected Saturday to shift from 15 to 25 mph with 45-mph gusts to gusts as high as 75 mph overnight Saturday. Winds will be even higher Sunday, especially along the passes, Kurth said, with sustained winds between 50-55 mph along the crest and gusts topping 90 mph on the ridge and in some canyons.

“Sunday afternoon won’t be quite as intense (for snowfall), but drivers might encounter difficult conditions and quite a bit of snow being blown around,” he said.

Motorists can check road conditions by calling 511 or the Caltrans highway conditions line at 800-427-7623, or by checking Caltrans’ road conditions website at dot.ca.gov/cttravel or http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

Conditions in the foothills

Kurth said the storms, which will be less significant snowmakers from the last batch that rolled through a few days, will once again make travel difficult even in lower-elevation places like Auburn and Placerville.

The second storm is bringing “significant cold air with it,” which could lead to major travel disruptions Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Kurth said snow is possible below 1,500 feet after Saturday, but that the second storm was likely drier than the storm that came through the first part of the week.

The lower elevations of the foothills could see snow accumulations of 12 to 18 inches.

The Bay Area forecast

You won’t escape unsettled conditions by heading west. Forecasters are calling for rainy and breezy conditions in the San Francisco Bay Area throughout the weekend.

Showers are likely Friday evening and are expected to continue Saturday along with winds that could top 30 mph by Saturday afternoon. Temperatures will stay in the high 50s during the day and dip into the mid 40s overnight.

Sunday will see mostly cloudy skies and a slight chance for showers in the evening. Rain is expected to linger through the week, according to forecasters.

Around Sacramento

The storms are expected to bring a half-inch to an inch of rain in the Sacramento area between Friday night and Sunday morning, as the storms’ cold air will be effective at squeezing out moisture, Kurth said.

According to the forecast, the break between the first system and a second, stronger system will be very brief, and likely not noticeable for many areas. “A brief break in showers will be possible Saturday morning before the next round of showers drops south with the cold front Saturday afternoon,” the forecast said.

Temperatures throughout the weekend will range from the low to mid 50s during the day and are expected to dip into the upper 30s at night.

Conditions will be breezy as well, he said, with winds in the capital region between 10 and 15 mph. Stronger winds will be further north in areas around Red Bluff and Redding, Kurth said.

Another system will likely bring more precipitation across the region early next week, according to the forecast.

This story was originally published February 8, 2019 at 8:21 AM.