We have two storms of concern for travel over the next week.  Of specific concern will be travel over Donner Summit during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

*You should be carrying chains for any travel over Donner Summit through the Holiday period.

Wednesday:

Expect rain to move in by afternoon going over Donner Summit.  Snow levels fall to 7,000 feet during the afternoon which is near the Soda Springs exit.  So expect to see snow for a few miles from exit 174 to exit 180 but with the warm roads, I would expect mainly wet roads or slush during the day. But it could be enough for chain controls to setup.

Going into Wednesday night we may see snow levels drop to 6,000 feet which is down near the Kingvale exit 171 and over Donner Summit to Donner Lake, possibly all the way into Truckee.  Expect accumulating snowfall on the road and chain controls as we are expecting several inches of snow Wednesday night over Donner Summit.

Thursday:

We could see some light snow showers Thursday into Thursday night, but we are expecting a bit of break between storms.  This may be enough to dry the roads out on Thursday, but any brief bursts of snow showers could whiten the road. 

If you are traveling over Donner Summit Thursday night be prepared for snow as the next storm could move in early.  Snow levels may rise above 7,000 feet Thursday night, but they should be low enough for accumulating snowfall from the Soda Springs exit over Donner Summit, so expect chain controls again Thursday night.

Friday:

Friday we are expecting the brunt of the next storm to move in.  Snow levels are expected to rise above 7,500 feet by Friday afternoon.  So snowfall and chain controls on Friday should be limited to just a few miles of road just over Donner Pass.  We could see heavy enough snowfall Friday for accumulating snow on the road until the snow levels rise above pass level turning the snow to rain. If the precip is heavy enough, it is possible that the snow levels hang right around pass level through the day. 

Friday afternoon/evening we could see a change to all rain for several hours which would make for slushy/wet roads over the summit.  Then falling snow levels later Friday night could bring back snowfall on the roads between the Kingvale and Donner Lake exits before the storm moves out.

Saturday:

Saturday morning could see snow packed roads in the morning over Donner Summit if snow levels drop before the storm ends, but expecting the sun to come out during the day and for the roads to dry out and clear for the remainder of the weekend.

Whitmore Grade, Exit 154 - 5,022'

Kingvale, Exit 171 - 6,095'

Soda Springs, Exit 171 - 6,768'

Castle Peak, Exit 176 - 7,165'

Donner Lake, Exit 180 - 6,394'

Truckee, Exit 185 - 5,898'

Truckee Scales, Exit 191 - 5,826'

Floriston, Exit 199 - 5,291'