storm

A tornado warning for parts of El Dorado and Amador counties has been lifted, but the National Weather Service reports that a tornado did touch down in El Dorado Hills near Folsom Lake and in Cameron Park.

Eric Kurth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the tornado touched down in the Browns Ravine area and damage was reported in the area of Hill View Hidden Acres and Mormon Island drives, south of Green Valley Road, in El Dorado Hills about 3 p.m. and moved eastward also touching down in Cameron Park.

It's going to be a white Christmas in Lake Tahoe, with heavy snow expected throughout the day Thursday, leaving an expected extra foot of snow at lake level by Friday morning.

If you are traveling you can expect road controls from chains or snow tire requirements to chains or 4WD with snow tires.

The holiday travel week may not have started out as many hoped it would as a storm hit Lake Tahoe on Monday, stranding many travelers for hours. I was one of those stranded between Kyburz and South Lake Tahoe on Highway 50, making the 1.5 hour drive from Cameron Park in 8.5 hours.

This caught me off guard since I've been driving the mountain roads for the past 36 years and my four-wheel drive car with snow tires has been very steady and dependable. I normally don't drive the mountain passes when a storm is headed our way, but I had to pick my daughter up from the San Francisco Airport.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Tuesday, December 22, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

9:20 a.m. Update: Both Sierra and Kirkwood are closed and Heavenly has open: Boulder and Stagecoach in Nevada. The Tram, Gunbarrel, Patsy's, Groove, First Ride, and Powderbowl Express in California. They are evaluating all lift operations this morning due to wind. The Gondola is on wind hold as of 9:20 am.

A pattern change begins today as the Pacific storm track continues to slip southward. Areas north of the Sacramento region should see some light precipitation Thursday with increasing rain and mountain snow on Friday. By Friday night and Saturday, all of northern California will be shifting into a wetter pattern with rain or mountain snow expected during parts of every day through at least Christmas day next Friday.

In the graphic in this story, South Tahoe Now created a comparison of the last four years on December 16 from NASA images of the snowpack.

3:20 p.m. update 12/13/15: Chains controls have expanded. Chains are required on all vehicles except 4WD with snow tires from 9 miles east of Placerville to 3 miles east of Pollock Pines, then snow tires or chains until 5 miles east of Kyburz where it is chains or 4WD with snow tires to Meyers.

Chains or snow tires around the lake including Spooner Summit and Kingsbury Grade.

I80 is chains or 4WD with snow tires from Nyack to Truckee. Trucks are being screened at Applegate and Nevada State Line for maximum chains in possession and permit loads are prohibited.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Friday, December 11, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe.

Weather - South Lake Tahoe will have a high of 34 and a low of 22. Day: Snow showers, mainly before 10am. High near 34. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. Night: Isolated snow showers before 10pm, then a slight chance of snow after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, the City of South Lake Tahoe and the California Tahoe Conservancy will soon be voting to swap land they own around the college so the South Lake Tahoe Greenway Shared-Use Bike Trail can be built between Bijou Community Park and Sierra Tract neighborhood.

Work on all Lake Tahoe basin projects is either suspended for the season or completed. Here is an update on all projects. There is still road work being done on a stretch of Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills:

Hal Cole's term as mayor during the City of South Lake Tahoe's 50th anniversary is coming to a close. During the next City Council meeting on Monday, December 7, the next mayor and mayor pro-tem will be elected. All current council members are eligible though first term Councilwoman Wendy David is the current mayor pro-tem.

Normally held on Tuesdays, the Council meeting was moved to Monday so Tom Davis could attend his daughter-in-law's graduation from nursing school in Tennessee. The meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the airport.

Just as predicted, snow started falling in South Lake Tahoe at noon on Tuesday.

The attached photo is from the Caltrans camera located at Twin Bridges at 12:30 p.m., giving people an idea of what is on the way.

As of 12:30 p.m. on November 24, the following road controls are in place:
From Meyers to 3 miles east of Kyburz on Highway 50, chains are required on all vehicles except or 4WD with snow tires.

Northbound on Hwy 89 from north of Camp Richardson along the west shore to Truckee, Chains are required except on 4WD with snow tires.

The path of the next storm headed to the Lake Tahoe area is still uncertain and weather experts are keeping a close eye on the situation to keep drivers informed during one of the most heavily traveled holidays. The National Weather Service is advising motorists to be informed as snow totals are still uncertain.

The National Weather Service warning: There are uncertainties with the exact tract of a strong winter storm heading into the Sierra. The storm will drop south-southeast into Eastern California and Western Nevada Tuesday, then linger through the remainder of the week.

The National Weather Service is calling for a new storm to bring snow to Lake Tahoe late Monday night into Wednesday, affecting holiday travelers.

Schools are open today, Monday, November 16, 2015 for LTUSD, Douglas County and LTCC.

Road controls this morning:

US 50: Is open with no control over Echo Summit. From Stateline to mile post 14.6 above Carson City, Chains or Snow Tires.

US 88: Chains or 4WD with snow tires from on CA-88 from mile post 41.7 in Amador County to mile post 13.4 in Alpine County in Nevada.

SR 207 Kingsbury Grade: Chains or snow tires from mile post 0.0 in Douglas County to mile post 12.0.

Hwy 395: Snow Tires required on US-395 from mile post 0.2 in Douglas County to mile post 23.7

This just in from the National Weather Service in Reno: The next storm rolls into the Sierra late Saturday night through Sunday evening. Sunday will begin breezy, and a Lake Wind Advisory has been issued for Lake Tahoe. This system will move through the region more quickly than the last storm. Travel impacts can be expected in the Sierra from western Lassen County through the Tahoe Basin into Mono County.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

A fast moving low pressure system will move through Lake Tahoe, the Sierra and Western Nevada Sunday and Sunday night, bringing with it another chance of snow.

Snow could impact travel in the Sierra on Sunday and in the valleys of western Nevada by Monday. Temperatures will be cold to start the week with well below freezing overnight low temperatures throughout the region.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

Potholes in our streets are a popular discussion item in Tahoe. Some potholes are simply holes in the asphalt paving, while others are actually low spots located over a utility pipeline. This summer, several articles have addressed potholes at various lengths. The South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) would like to provide some information concerning the “utility” potholes. There are multiple types of “utility” potholes:

1. Manhole structure on sanitary sewers (stamped STPUD)
2. Manhole structure on storm drain sewers (usually slotted)

A South Lake Tahoe man has been arrested, accused of auto insurance fraud.

Braden Scott Leeds was arrested Monday by investigators with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office after a nine-count felony complaint was filed with the El Dorado County Superior Court. The arrest was the culmination of a two-month investigation by California Bureau of Automotive Repair investigators, with assistance of investigators from the DA’s Office.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

State Route 89 (Placer County): Work continues on a $70.1 million project from Tahoma to the "Y" junction with State Route 28 in Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore that will upgrade storm water drainage and treatment systems, add curb and gutter, resurface and realign the road, add new left-turn pockets and widen shoulders on a 9-mile stretch of the highway. Completion is expected in fall 2016.

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) will host Dr. Kelly Redmond, regional climatologist for the western United States with the Desert Research Institute, on Thursday, October 29, 2015.

National Fire Week is October 4-10 this year, and in honor of it the City of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue will have all three of their fire stations open to the public.

Each location will have different information, so visit one, or all.

There will be trucks on display, information about fire safety and raffle prizes.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tour the following SLT stations:

Fire Station #1 located at 1252 Ski Run Blvd.
Fire Station #2 located at 2951 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
Fire Station #3 located at 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd.