Early storm brings snow to Tahoe, rain to Bay Area

As light rains fell across the Bay Area overnight, an early winter storm brought snow to the Sierra, forecasters said Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Lake Tahoe area that was to expire at 11 p.m. Saturday, but was lifted at 3 p.m. because of improving conditions. Residents of South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Stateline and Incline Village should expect heavy show and difficult travel conditions.

Snow has only fallen above lake level, but the storm has slowed traffic on Interstate 80 at Donner Pass, said Jon Mittlestadt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno.

The early season storm has helped resorts get ready for the upcoming ski season. Resorts on the west side of Lake Tahoe averaged 2 to 4 inches of snow above 7,000 feet by Saturday morning, Mittlestadt said. Higher eleva-

tions could receive 8 to 10 inches.

In the Bay Area, overnight rain mostly cleared by Saturday morning, said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey.

As of 9:30 a.m. Saturday, downtown San Francisco recorded 0.08 of an inch of rain, Oakland recorded 0.06 of an inch and San Jose measured 0.01 of an inch, Mehle said.

Santa Lucia Mountains in Big Sur received the most rain, recording 0.98 of an inch. Spring Valley in San Mateo County also recorded a notable amount of rain, receiving three-quarters of an inch, Mehle said.

Slick roads already have caused numerous vehicle spinouts, prompting California Highway Patrol’s Marin and Santa Rosa branches to issue warnings to drivers.

Lingering showers on Saturday were mostly in the South Bay around the Santa Cruz and Monterey area, Mehle said. The rest of the Bay Area was in store for cool, cloudy weather with highs in the mid -50s to lower 60s across the region.

“This is seasonably cold. We’re sitting anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees below normal,” Mehle said. “With it being kind of cloudy, we’re not seeing the microclimates and variations across the bay like we normally do.”

For Sunday, meteorologists said, the Lake Tahoe region is expecting weak winter storms. The Bay Area has a slight chance of rain that will mostly likely impact the North Bay.