The Latest: Sierra winds forecast to top 100 mph

RENO, Nev. – The Latest on another series of winter storms at Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada (all times local):

4 p.m.

The National Weather Service in Reno says winds in excess of 100 mph over Sierra ridgetops could churn up waves as high as 5 feet on Lake Tahoe this weekend as a series of winter storms dumps several more feet of snow in the mountains.

The service issued a winter storm warning for the Tahoe region Thursday effective until 4 a.m. Monday.

Winds gusting up to 100 mph are expected over the top of the Sierra Friday and up to 120 mph Saturday night into Sunday.

Lake Tahoe waves are forecast at 2 to 3 feet Friday and Saturday, and up to 5 feet Sunday.

Two to 4 feet of snow is forecast through Monday at lake level — an elevation of about 6,200 feet.

The weather service expects 3 to 6 feet of snow above 7,000 feet through the weekend. That’s about 200 feet lower than the elevation where Interstate 80 crosses Donner Pass west of Truckee, California.

I-80 was closed there for three days two weeks ago. More than 15 feet of snow has fallen on parts of the Sierra since Jan. 1.

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11:35 a.m.

The first of a series of three wintry weather systems forecast to hit the already storm-socked Sierra has dropped another 18 inches of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe.

The National Weather Service in Reno issued a winter storm warning Thursday in effect through 4 a.m. Monday for the Tahoe area, where as much as 6 feet of new snow is possible in the upper elevations with 2 to 4 feet at lake level.

A winter weather advisory is in effect through 10 p.m. Friday in Reno and Carson City.

More than 12 feet of snow fell over the past 2 weeks at some Tahoe area resorts, the most in more than five years.

The strongest of this weekend’s storms is expected to roll in Saturday night, with wind gusts in excess of 100 mph possible over the ridgetops.