LAKE COUNTY – Weather reports indicate that serious winter storms are headed Lake County's way later this week.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather alert for areas of Northern California, including Lake County, warning of a series of heavy winter storms.

The storms, according to the National Weather Service, are expected to arrive Thursday afternoon and continue through Sunday.

The source of the storms is an intense, low-pressure system originating from the Gulf of Alaska, which the National Weather Service says is pushing the storms into interior Northern California.

Rain is predicted to arrive Thursday morning in Lake County, with south winds building and gusts of as high as 31 miles per hour expected, the National Weather Service reported.

On Friday rains are expected to continue through the evening, with heavy rainfall possible in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain showers may continue through Sunday, with the National Weather Service reporting that snow could fall Sunday night, before giving way to more rain through Tuesday.

The National Weather Service also expects heavy rain in the Sacramento Valley and heavy snow in the mountains through the weekend. Up to 2 feet of snow could fall at the 7,000 foot elevation in the mountains by Friday morning and up to 4 feet of snow over a 24-hour period in the highest elevations on Friday, with the storm also anticipated to deliver up to 3 inches of rain in the Sacramento Valley.

The valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains could also see heavy wind gust, with the National Weather Service warning that the dangerous winds could lead to possible blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada over the weekend.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:2}