be prepared

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - John Albert Thompson, a Norwegian immigrant nicknamed Snowshoe Thompson, was the legendary 'Mailman of the Sierras' and a man many consider to be the father of California skiing.

His life will be celebrated in South Lake Tahoe on March 2, 2019, during the 19th annual Snowshoe Thompson Ski & Snowshoe Celebration at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The cost for the day is a $10 donation for adults and kids under 12 are free.

Snowglobe 2018 is now in the books. There have been some successes as well as some difficulties. This year saw the introduction of professional sound engineers to help reduce the sound and new field protection to prevent further damage to our new play fields. The sound is reported to have been improved for many though the people who live nearest this event in Pioneer Village, along the Bijou Meadow, around Johnson Lane and in Sierra Tract continue to be bombarded by three days of sound.

Good Morning & Happy New Year Lake Tahoe Skiers & Riders…

Shaping up to be a Beautiful New Year’s Day to Celebrate on the Slopes… Bundle up today… All the Resort are Open and Geared up, but report upper mountain lifts on WIND HOLD at Heavenly, Kirkwood, Squaw, Alpine, Sugar Bowl & Mammoth… Winds should decrease by afternoon… Call Ahead! Snow Conditions are holding up with Machine Groomed & Skier-Rider Packed snow… Get After it! Have Fun & Be Safe!

Good Morning & Happy Holidays Lake Tahoe Skiers & Riders…

Shaping up to be a Beautiful Finally Friday heading in to the New Year’s Holiday… All the Resort are Open and Geared up with more runs open… Bundle Up… Cold temps & North winds will keep the snow conditions in great shape with Machine Groomed & Skier-Rider Packed Powder. All Upper Mountain Lifts will Operate Wind & Weather Permitting. If you need to rent gear, get there early or rent the night before… If you want to enroll in ski/snowboard lessons, sign up early… Have Patience in Lines… Get After it! Have Fun & Be Safe!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There have been a few break in the clouds today, but full clearing is unlikely for many lower valleys. These stubborn clouds should
gradually decrease in coverage over the weekend with drier and warmer conditions this weekend according to the National Weather Service in Reno. Mountains will remain mild and in the sunshine. A weak system brings the potential for some light
rain and snow early next week. Although there are no signals for strong storms, the pattern looks to remain active through at least mid-month.

Coming to Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving? Try to get here early Wednesday.

Holiday travel impacts are likely across the Sierra and western Nevada starting on Wednesday. It is best to have a winter travel kit and plan for potentially
long delays through Friday.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, the biggest chance for snow is Wednesday, though not overly impressive for Sierra standards.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will host a public tour to announce the proposed action and public comment period for the Meeks Bay Restoration Project on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The public tour will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Meeks Bay Resort, 7941 Emerald Bay Road (Highway 89), Meeks Bay, CA 96142. The 45-day comment period begins with the publication of the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Sep. 11, 2018. Comments are most helpful if received by Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.

A day on the lake is a dream come true for many, but for two South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers it's another day at the office. As they navigate Lake Tahoe they are looking for speeders, unsafe practices, life vests, drunk boaters and boat registrations, as well as responding to life threatening crashes and drownings.

"It's our little city out here," explained Steve O'Brien who has manned the South Lake Tahoe police boat for 17 summers.

After a routine inspection of the Washoe Lake Dam Monday it was determined that the dam was in danger of potentially breaching. Experts arrived on site and conducted an analysis mitigation for the last several hours. Due to this examination, the Washoe Lake Dam threat has been downgraded from imminent threat to a watch.

If the dam breached, the Steamboat Creek and Steamboat Ditch areas would be flooded. Due to this threat, residents were asked in these and surrounding areas, to be prepared to evacuate when notified.

Both California and Nevada suffered destructive wildfires last year. Nevada saw 768 fires burn more than 1.3 million acres. California experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history. Just a few hours-drive from Tahoe, more than 40 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in the wine country and North Bay last October. In Southern California, the Thomas Fire ravaged communities and forest lands last December with damaging flooding and landslides piled on after the fire subsided.

Join over a hundred community members at the League to Save Lake Tahoe's largest one-day water quality monitoring event of the year on Saturday, May 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

This free event is family friendly and all ages are invited. No experience necessary. Refreshments will be provided but bring a reusable water bottle.

Just after reopening, a snowslide and incoming storm have prompted Caltrans to close State Highway 89 around Emerald Bay until the weather clears.

Today’s slide dumped snow as high as 15 feet deep and about 160 feet long. Rain in the Lake Tahoe area is expected to turn to snow on Thursday. Only light snow is expected at pass levels through Thursday morning, with heavy snow possible beginning Thursday afternoon.

March 16 3:00 PM update: Washoe County has issued a Stage 2 Avalanche Alert for the Crystal Bay and Third Creek area. Stage 2 Avalanche Alert Action: In a Stage 2 Avalanche alert, if you choose to evacuate, please do so now or within the next 2-4 hours.

The next and final alert is a Stage 3 Avalanche Alert.

Stage 3 Avalanche Alert Action: A Stage 3 Avalanche alert signifies a shelter-in-place alert and a warning to NOT leave your home for up to 24 hours.

Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from Douglas County and El Dorado County save lives each year, and many times they have to respond to adverse conditions just as was the case when they were called out to Mott Canyon after two skiers were lost last week after skiing out of bounds at Heavenly.

Law enforcement from both California and Nevada are reminding motorists to not drink and drive, especially during Super Bowl weekend which seen an increase of drunk drivers on the road. As friends and family gather to watch the game Sunday, February 4, please designate a sober driver before the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles begins.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) have teamed up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind motorists to not drive while intoxicated.

With the Sierra snowpack at three percent of normal at Echo Summit, and 84 percent of normal at top of Mt. Rose, snow is needed not only on the slopes, but at upper elevations to keep reservoirs full of water for summer.

The weather pattern remains unsettled into the weekend in Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe. A warm and relatively weak system Friday evening into Saturday will bring
additional rain and high elevation snow to the region. A brief break is expected Sunday before a stronger and wetter system is forecast to impact the region Monday and Tuesday.

Very mild conditions will prevail through Saturday with a few record high temperatures possible. Things will start changing Saturday ahead of a strong cold front which will bring snow to the Sierra and northeast California Sunday and Sunday night.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch for Lake Tahoe on Saturday, November 25, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. as a potent Pacific storm moves inland, bringing rain and mountain snow along with those gusty winds.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and the Eldorado National Forest (ENF) will begin the sale of Christmas tree permits on Monday, November 13, 2017. Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar trees up to six inches in diameter at the base in designated cutting areas. Trees must be cut on the forest where the permit was purchased (the ENF is south and west of the Lake Tahoe Basin, on the west slope).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Even though the busy summer season is over, those hiking in the mountains around Lake Tahoe needing help getting to safety are on the rise.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) team has been busy this fall, responding to almost double the number of calls.

From September 1 to October 30, 2016, the SAR volunteers responded to 12 incidents. So far in 2017 during the period, they are been called out 22 times.

9:00 p.m. update: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) has initiated evacuations for areas east of Pine Nut Road to include Fred's Street, Sandoval, Taildragger, Bluebird, and Bar-J Roads as well as in the Sierra Spirit Ranch area including, Blue Sage Road, Badger Lane, Robinson Road and Lena Lane. In addition, Washoe Tribal Police are evacuating the Bodie Flats area in the vicinity of Courtland Avenue.

The lightning-sparked Preacher Fire burning in the Pine Nut Mountains southeast of Gardnerville has swelled to 3,130 acres according to DCSO with winds moving north.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An ongoing legal battle between the Tahoe Keys Marina and the Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) has resulted in the water being shut off to all buildings at the marina.

Since the Fresh Ketch restaurant and adjacent deli are in one of those buildings, the El Dorado County Health Department shut them down due to a lack of water. A notice was also put up on the apartments in the complex advising residents of unsafe living conditions since there was no running water.

9:30 a.m. update: The area continues to see several earthquakes in this current swarm that started at 2:02 a.m. with a 4.0 earthquake according to the UNR Seismological Lab in Reno. Magnitude numbers have been updated and listed below.

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A series of earthquakes hit north of Donner Lake early Tuesday morning, starting at 2:02 a.m. with a 4.0 quake and a session of following 14 other tremblers over 1.0 magnitude by 5:43 a.m.

All came from an area 10.5 to 11.8 miles North/Northwest of Donner Lake, near Independence Lake.

The time and magnitude as of 8:20 a.m. Tuesday:

Caltrans is advising motorists that thousands of bicyclists will be sharing the highways all around Lake Tahoe during Sunday's 26th annual America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride.

Northbound State Highway 89 in Emerald Bay at Spring Creek Road will be closed to through traffic from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. during the event.

Update Wednesday 11:00 a.m.: According to Trooper Dan Gordon of NHP, The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. It was a single vehicle crash. The driver struck a guardrail, then hit a couple of roadway signs before it rolled down an embankment for approximately 10-20 feet. The driver was transported with non-life threatening injuries. It is unknown at this time if the driver was impaired.

Kingsbury Grade was closed for about an hour while the tow truck worked on pulling the vehicle out of the ditch, and then onto the tow truck.