LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for parts of Northern California, including Lake County, ahead of a storm that's predicted to hit the region this weekend.

The agency's Sacramento office reported that a low pressure system is still on track to impact interior Northern California on Friday and Saturday.

Beginning on Thursday, northerly winds will increase as the cold system approaches Northern California, based on the updated forecast.

Higher elevations such as the Sierras are expected to get snow, while rain is predicted to arrive over the northern mountains early Friday morning, spreading south on Friday and Saturday, according to the forecast.

Small amounts of snow – up to 2 inches – also are possible in northern Lake County's higher elevations above 3,500 feet, based on forecaster predictions issued Wednesday.

The heaviest rain is expected late Friday into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, which also is predicting the chance of afternoon thunderstorms in the Sacramento Valley on both days.

Forecasters said Lake County could see variable winds starting Thursday, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour in parts of the county Thursday night.

While forecasters expect the rain to arrive on Friday, there is a 20-percent chance of precipitation in Lake County on Thursday night.

Chances of rain increase to 40 percent on Friday, with windy conditions expected to continue through Friday night, according to forecasters.

On Saturday, chances of rain across the county are 30 percent during the day, tapering off to 20 percent that night.

Conditions are anticipated to clear on Sunday and into the middle of next week, with mostly sunny conditions. Daytime highs are forecast to be in the high 60s and nighttime lows in the low 30s, the National Weather Service reported.

More rain is needed to continue to raise the level of Clear Lake, which early Thursday was at 4.53 feet Rumsey, the special measurement for Clear Lake. A full lake is 7.56 feet Rumsey.

For comparison, lake depth last Feb. 25 was 1.04 feet Rumsey; 5.93 feet Rumsey on Feb. 25, 2013; 2.99 feet Rumsey on Feb. 25, 2012; and 7.11 feet Rumsey on Feb. 25, 2011, according to US Geological Survey water records.

Additional weather forecast updates will be posted as they become available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.