Is more snow coming to Tahoe? Here are totals so far — and what’s forecast for the weekend

More snow is headed to the Tahoe area this weekend, according the National Weather Service’s latest forecast.

On average, a total of 42.5 inches of snow have fallen across the region so far this season, according to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, a research field station in the Sierra Nevada.

Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the laboratory, said recent model runs are reducing the amount of snowfall for this weekend’s upcoming storm.

“It’s not as straightforward as it could be for snow predictions,” Schwartz told The Sacramento Bee via phone on Wednesday morning. “We’re expecting anywhere from a foot to about 18 inches of snow up in Donner Summit.”

After two more days of model runs, Schwartz said the region could see different accumulations.

If you’re planning a trip up to Tahoe, here’s how much snow you can expect.

How much snow has fallen in Tahoe so far this winter?

As of Wednesday, here’s how much snow has fallen so far this season at Tahoe’s ski and snowboarding resorts, according to their websites:

What’s in the weather forecast?

According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for this upcoming weekend indicates that new snow accumulation is possible for the Tahoe region.

Michael Musher, a spokesperson from the National Weather Service, said forecasters are predicting snow across the Sierra Nevada.

“It’s very difficult to forecast how much snow exactly will fall across the Sierra and Tahoe area this winter season,” Musher wrote in an email Wednesday morning.

On Friday, a 40% chance of snow is predicted in Tahoe with a high temperature near 37 and a low temperature around 15, the weather service said.

Little to no snow accumulation is expected on that day, the agency said.

According to the weather service, there is a 50% to 80% chance of snow on Saturday — mainly after 4 p.m.

There’s a possibility of 2 to 4 inches of new snow accumulation on that day. The high will be around 36 and the low will be around 9, the weather service said.

A chance of snow is predicted for Sunday’s forecast with partly sunny skies and a high near 27. The low will be around 6.

“It appears after this weekend another winter storm may arrive from the north and west … the week of Jan. 8-12,” Musher wrote.

What are Sierra Nevada snowfall totals?

In the past 24 hours, the Sierra Nevada received 10.8 inches of snow, the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory announced Wednesday on X, formerly called Twitter.

“We are expecting another 0-2” today,” the laboratory wrote in the post.

This is 38% of average to date, the post said.

“We are keeping an eye on this weekend’s storm, which currently looks to be similar magnitude,” the laboratory wrote in the post.

How do snowfall totals compare to previous year?

During the 2022-23 water year, winter storms created the deepest snowpack recorded across the Sierra Nevada in the past 40 years.

Though those snow levels remained slightly higher than historic averages, scientists have warned that California is experiencing a depletion of snowpack.

This year, Schwartz said the weather patterns are drier compared to the previous year.

“We’re seeing fewer storms,” Schwartz said. “The storms that we have seen are warmer and dropping more rain than snowfall.”

With warmer temperatures and a lack of moisture in storms, Schwartz said the Sierra Nevada will have a very different winter season this year.

“We really don’t have any expectations on what’s to come for the rest of the season,” Schwartz said. “However, when we look at the storm that’s supposed to come in the middle of next week, there seems to be a drier trend.”

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