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.
