South Lake Tahoe area rivers and creeks over banks, some flooding in Tahoe Keys

Above average temperatures combined with an above average, and still deep, snowpack in the Sierra has led to the flooding of the Upper Truckee River, Trout Creek and Cold Creek in South Lake Tahoe. The extra water in the river has also led to slight flooding on Colorado Avenue in the Tahoe Keys.

The highest Lake Tahoe can reach, the legal limit, is 6229.1 ft. On Friday, May 5, the lake was at 6227.76. The dam at Tahoe City has been all full capacity all week due to the melting snow and has caused a Flood Warning to be issued not only on the Truckee River from the North Shore to Reno, but all Northern Nevada rivers and streams.

Not only is the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe above flood stage and over its banks, its running at a rate more than four times faster than average, and almost double the highest recorded rate in the 42 years data has been collected on the river in SLT. According to instant data provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the discharge volume of the Upper Truckee river was moving at 977 cubic feet per second on May 5, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. The average for this date is 242 cubic feet per second and the highest record prior to 2017 was in 1982 when the river was moving at 575 cubic feet per second.

Sonya Vasquez of the USGS Nevada Water Science Center said the discharge volume of water is the "quantity of water moving past the gauge." The gauge is located about 1/10 mile north of the bridge over the Truckee on Highway 50.

Vasquez and the Nevada team collect data that is provided to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use in their forecasts.

Jim Marino, Assistant Public Works Director for the City of South Lake Tahoe, said there is nothing they can but keep homeowners informed on the current situation. They currently have pumps out on Colorado Avenue to keep water away from homes. Citizens can also go by the City's yard and get sandbags should they need them.

Marino said NOAA called him today to find out current conditions on the rivers.

"I don't see the flooding stopping," said Marino. "We need moderate temperate changes so all we can hope for now is get the forecast cooler temperatures that will keep snow from melting at the upper elevations."