Massive winter storm could bring feet of snow to Sierra mountain passes later this week

TRUCKEE, Calif. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nope, that's not a typo in our weather graphics. A massive winter storm could bring multiple feet of snow to Sierra mountain passes and inches of snow to Reno's valley floor and surrounding areas later this week.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a winter storm watch starting Thursday evening and running through Saturday morning for the valley floors in Reno, Carson City and the Carson Valley.

Heavy snow is likely and accumulations up to 8 inches are possible on the valley floors. Forecasters say anywhere from one to two feet of snow is possible for Virginia City, the Virginia Highlands and foothills above 5,000 feet. A combination of gusty winds and heavy snowfall could make for blizzard conditions in some areas. Winds could gust as high as 70 miles per hour during the storm watch.

A watch is also in effect for the Lake Tahoe Basin and towns/cities including Truckee, Incline Village, Markleeville, and Glenbrook late Wednesday night through Sunday morning.

The NWS said blizzard conditions are likely and anywhere from two to four feet of snow could hit Lake Tahoe community with four to eight feet of snow above 7,000 feet.

Meteorologists say storms of this magnitude are rare and capable of closing major roads and damaging power infrastructure for extended periods of time. You are urged to prepare before the storm it hits by stocking up on food, water, have a secondary heat source for more than several days in case of extended power outages. If you must travel over Sierra mountain passes, do it before the storm arrives because commuting could become impossible and life-threatening.

To see our latest Weather Authority forecast, click here.