Snow forecast in Tahoe as autumnal cool and precipitation head toward the Sierra

South Lake Tahoe could see its first significant snowfall of the season this weekend.

Lake Tahoe’s first significant snowfall could be in store this weekend as fall conditions are set to come to the Sierra Nevada, according to the National Weather Service.

A cold front will bring snow showers and rain Thursday and Friday with “significant changes in the weather,” the service said. Freezing temperatures could follow.

Rain is most likely along the eastern Sierra into western Nevada, and several inches of snow are possible at higher elevations, according to the agency.

Temperatures will be near and below freezing for rural and suburban valleys this weekend, the weather service said, with Saturday night appearing to have the coldest temperatures.

An even colder air mass is set to blanket the region on Monday and Tuesday, leading to an 80% to 90% chance that the region could see widespread hard freezes. The service said residents in the area should be prepared for snow showers on Monday.

The Bay Area has a low chance of showers on Friday night, and some people in coastal areas from Sonoma County to the Santa Cruz Mountains could see “light rain or sprinkles,” the weather service said. San Francisco is not expected to see any rain Friday or Saturday.

Temperatures this weekend are set to get warmer, into the high 60s and 70s, but the Bay Area isn’t expected to see “unusually hot or adverse weather.”

However, a strong system could hit the Great Basin on Sunday night into Monday morning, which could develop into strong winds. The weather service has already issued a Fire Weather Watch from 11 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Tuesday, warning of winds that could gust up to 50 mph in the North Bay mountains and the East Bay hills.