{"id":335,"date":"2026-05-27T04:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T04:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=335"},"modified":"2026-05-27T04:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T04:08:00","slug":"wind-snow-lightning-forecast-to-hit-the-sierra-nevada-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=335","title":{"rendered":"Wind, snow, lightning forecast to hit the Sierra Nevada this week"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A late-season storm is rolling through the Sierra Nevada this week, bringing snowfall, high winds and lightning.<\/p>

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Although the storm system is expected to target the whole region, the most snow is likely to fall in the central and southern Sierra. From Tuesday through Thursday, up to about 8 inches could stick on the highest peaks, according to the National Weather Service office in Reno.<\/p><\/div>

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\u201cHonestly through the end of this week, anyone backpacking, especially on the [Pacific Crest Trail] and the higher trails of the Sierras, should definitely keep in tune with the weather,\u201d Chris Johnston, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Reno, told SFGATE. \u201cAnd they should probably stay off the eastern Sierra on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so they don\u2019t get caught in this stuff.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

On Tuesday, Mammoth Mountain announced an extension to the season through June 7,\u00a0celebrating the \u201ccold temps, solid coverage and fresh snow in the forecast this week\u201d in a social media post.<\/p><\/div>

There\u2019s about an 80% chance of at least light precipitation regionwide, as temperatures dip 15 to 20 degrees below the averages for late May. Snow levels could drop to 5,500 feet by Wednesday morning; hover between 6,500 and 7,500 feet from Wednesday through Thursday morning; and then rise up to 8,000 feet by Thursday afternoon.<\/p><\/div>

In Lake Tahoe, forecasters expect a mix of rain and snow flurries. Mount Rose Summit, at 8,911 feet, could get up to 2 inches of snow, while most other main passes in the Tahoe region will get more like an inch.<\/p><\/div>

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On Tuesday afternoon, isolated lightning could also arrive as the probability of thunder increases to 30% from Lassen County to the Tahoe basin. Chances of lightning continue through Thursday.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cThis is a closed upper low from western British Columbia that\u2019s pretty much going to park itself right over the Reno area until about Friday, and then we\u2019ll start to see warming,\u201d Johnston explained. \u201cIt\u2019s one of these lows that got cut off from the main jet stream farther south than it would normally for this time of year. It\u2019s a colder event that\u2019s\u00a0out of the normal.\u201d<\/p>

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High-elevation snow can be a concern for hikers and mountain climbers in the Sierra Nevada. Search and rescue organizations warn that snow increases the difficulty of well-known hikes, including Mount\u00a0Whitney. Over Memorial Day weekend, hikers encountered snow at high elevations in the Tahoe region. At one point, search and rescue responded to calls for help from a mountain biker near Freel Peak who was stranded and disoriented in the snow.<\/p><\/div>

The late-season storm comes after the California Department of Water Resources determined this year\u2019s April 1 snowpack was the second lowest on record. As of May 21, the U.S. Drought Monitor now classifies much of California as abnormally dry with the northernmost part of the state experiencing moderate drought.<\/p><\/div>

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