storm

One constant topic in South Lake Tahoe this week: the weather and flooding. As of Friday morning, that rain has turned to snow.

A Flood Watch expires in South Lake Tahoe at 9:15 a.m. Friday and the Winter Storm is still in effect until 1:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

Weather:

Today - Rain, possibly mixed with snow. High near 43. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Good morning skiers and riders, and if you're visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe!!

Today is Thursday, February 9.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN AFFECT FROM 10:00AM THRU 1:00AM SATURDAY. RAIN & STRONG GUSTY WINDS REPORTED AT RESORTS WITH MOST ALL RESORTS CLOSED. CALL AHEAD…
OPEN RESORTS:
HEAVENLY: CALIFORNIA BASE SIDE OPEN UP TO TOP OF POWDER BOWL.
SIERRA AT TAHOE: LOWER FRONT SIDE LIFTS TURNING UP TO TOP OF NOB HILL
DIAMOND PEAK: LOWER LIFTS & TOWS TURNING
NORTHSTAR: STARTING WITH FRONT SIDE LIFTS
SUGAR BOWL: LOWER LIFTS TURNING

A flood warning remains in effect for South Lake Tahoe until Wednesday evening. One storm system will be leaving the area as a new atmospheric river heads into the region on Thursday.

Flood watch warning is now in place for Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to Friday at 4:00 a.m. This will be combine with a winter storm warning starting at the same time and going until Saturday at 1:00 a.m. Those warnings will be replaced with a dry period over the weekend with sunny clear skies and temperatures into the 40s and 50s.

The rain has caused some road closures:

Ski resorts benefited from the snow left behind during the most recent storm which left a couple of inches of slushy snow at lake level, but 7" to a foot of snow at local ski areas.

The next wave of the storm will hit Lake Tahoe Monday night when the snowfall is replaced with heavy rainfall. The warmer storm will bring a higher risk of flooding to the region, especially to the mountains and foothill locations. Strong winds will also increase the potential for downed trees and power lines.

Forecast from the National Weather Service through Thursday:

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Lake Tahoe basin from 10:00 p.m. Sunday night through Monday at 10:00 p.m. with up to 10" of snow forecast for lake level.

As the snow passes Monday night, heavy rains will hit the Sierra, Reno and the Carson Valley with flooding possible in areas of poor drainage, creeks and streams. Rivers may see some rise with the rains.

Chains controls were up on all mountain roads Sunday night.

Forecast from the National Weather Service:

Sunday morning update: The National Weather Service has upgraded their storm observation and there is now a "Winter Storm Warning" in place.

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The next storm heading to Lake Tahoe will be a wet one, and depending on one's elevation, it could be a snowy one as well. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno has issued a Winter Storm Watch in effect for the area from Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. to Monday night at 10:00 p.m.

Good morning Lake Tahoe skiers and riders, If you are visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe!

Today is Friday, February 3.

WINTER STORM WARNING POSTED THRU EARLY SATURDAY. WINDS ARE AFFECTING THE OPERATION OF UPPER MOUNTAIN LIFTS. DRESS FOR WINTER CONDITIONS!
HEAVENLY: GONDOLA & SKY ON HOLD;
KIRKWOOD: CHAIR 6 ON HOLD;
MT ROSE: BLAZING ZEPHYR ON HOLD;
SUGARBOWL: MT LINCOLN ON HOLD;
ALPINE & SQUAW: UPPER MOUNTAIN ON HOLD…
CALL AHEAD!
SURFACE CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE MACHINE GROOMED AND SKIER/RIDER PACKED & FIRM PACKED SNOW WITH FRESH POWDER ON TOP.

The groundhog seeing his shadow in South Lake Tahoe is questionable as a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for elevations above 6,500 feet in the Lake Tahoe Basin from 1:00 a.m. Thursday until 4:00 a.m. Saturday.

The latest storm moves into the Sierra late Wednesday, February 1, bringing moderate to heavy snow by Thursday morning at higher elevations. Snow will decrease substantially in intensity by Thursday afternoon as the first wave of unsettled weather passes through according to the National Weather Service in Reno. The next storm then moves in late Thursday night through Friday.

The inversion layer over Lake Tahoe Tuesday will be pushed out Wednesday as a new storm hits the basin late Wednesday night. Travel over the passes will be impacted during this storm, but with a winter storm warning up for elevations above 7,000 feet, lake level will see mostly rain with a little snow.

Snow will begin to move into the Sierra late Wednesday night with periods of moderate to heavy snow continuing through Friday evening according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno. The winter storm warning has moved to 1:00 a.m. Thursday to 10:00 p.m. Friday, February 3.

Rain and snow flows during the atmospheric river storm that hit South Lake Tahoe in January created more than double the normal flow through the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD).

On a normal 4th of July, when most beds are filled in local homes and motels, STPUD sees about five million gallons go through the sewer plant, but with the large amounts of snow and rain on roads and in yards, 12.57 million gallons flowed through the plant on January 8, 2017.

After a series of storms fondly dubbed by South Lake Tahoe locals as "Januburied" and "Snowmaggedon" hit the Lake Tahoe region in January, the water levels in the lake have risen to the highest levels since 2013.

As of January 28, 2017, Lake Tahoe is at an elevation of 6225.08, 2.08 feet above its natural rim of 6,223 feet above sea level. The lake is considered full at the legal limit of 6,229.1 ft, so there is still quite a big of storage left, 482,400 acres of water to be exact.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - The January 7, 2017 storm that hit the Sierra Nevada and brought with it over 5 inches of rain before several feet of snow, also brought along some records, too.

During this storm event the Tahoe Resource Conservaton District (TRCD) Stormwater Monitoring Program measured the highest flows ever recorded at all eight of their monitoring locations since monitoring began in 2013. The Tahoe Valley site, located off Tahoe Keys Blvd., measured 1.5 million cubic feet of flow, nearly 90 percent of the flow that was observed throughout the whole 2016 water year!

After California suffered through two weeks of storms, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Monday, paving the way for cities and counties to get reimbursed for storm damage.

The City of South Lake Tahoe declared a state of emergency at their City Council meeting last week and is now going through the community to assess the damage.

The historic building that housed a liquor store and other businesses in South Lake Tahoe suffered significant damage after a heavy snow load contributed to the collapse of the building's roof early Monday morning.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) is closing schools on the South Shore Monday, January 23 due to snow expected Sunday and Monday from the latest storm.

LTUSD crews are performing ongoing snow removal operations, as are the City of South Lake Tahoe, Caltrans and El Dorado County.

As of 2:00 p.m. Sunday, no other school in the Lake Tahoe Basin has announced school closures, including Lake Tahoe Community College.

Echo Summit was closed this morning so crews could work on avalanche control, creating a backup not only on Highway 50 in Meyers, but on side roads leading to the summit. Heavy snow stranded several motorists on North Upper Truckee near Mt. Rainer. Lake Tahoe Blvd was closed at Sawmill Pond while the highway was closed to prevent more drivers from driving towards North Upper Truckee.

Snow Days. Kids love 'em, parents maybe not so much.

Last week's five snow days, and a lack of one this week caused some parents to raise concern with how the Lake Tahoe Unified School (LTUSD) decides when to close school for the day.

Closing school is always a tough call for school superintendents across the country, so what is the science behind closing schools when it snows in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District?

Long time South Lake Tahoe locals have been heard in town saying, "This is just like winter used to be." Without many serious snowstorms in the past several years, forecasts of 2-3' feet are catching many by surprise as they find themselves unprepared.

The City of South Lake Tahoe is reaching out to residents with advice to stay safe, how to be prepared, how to handle berms, and updates on the City's preparations.

Friday-Saturday, January 20-21

1:00 p.m. update - The National Weather Service in Reno is updating their forecast as the storm heading to Lake Tahoe Sunday and Monday is trending towards "Big Snow."

On Friday, another round of heavy snow will start just after midnight Friday morning, impacting traffic throughout the day. Reno and the rest of Western Nevada will be impacted as well with up to several inches of valley floor snow.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council members voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency in the city after widespread flooding occurred after an atmospheric river passed over the community on January 7 and 8, 2017. The flooding was replaced by several feet of snow through January 12.

While the total impact on the community during the storm has yet to be tallied, making the declaration directs state and federal funds to South Lake Tahoe to alleviate the financial burden should major repairs be needed.

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) would like to thank the City of South Lake Tahoe for their preparedness in the face of severe weather last week. As one volunteer commented, “Everyone at the City of South Lake Tahoe was very nice, helpful, and willing.”

Good morning skiers and riders, and if you're visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe!

Today is Tuesday, January 17.

WE GOT THRU THE MLK WEEKEND AND TODAY IS THE DAY FOR LOCALS TO RECLAIM THE SLOPES. GET OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN AND ENJOY THE GREAT CONDITIONS. MOST LIFTS AND RUNS ARE OPEN AT ALL RESORTS… STAY ON DESIGNATED OPEN RUNS ONLY AND BE SAFE. IF YOU VENTURE OFF PISTE, SKI & RIDE WITH A BUDDY.

I WILL NOT BE UPDATING THIS REPORT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AS I WILL BE HEADING OUT ON A ROADTRIP TO UTAH, WYOMING & IDAHO AND YOU CAN FOLLOW MY POSTS ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE AND ON BIKEANDSKITAHOE.COM.

Lake Tahoe is filling up with water and is currently holding the most water for the month of January since 2013.

With a natural rim of 6223 feet in altitude, Lake Tahoe is above that by 1.67 feet at 6224.67 today, January 15, 2017. On this date in 2016, the lake was almost three feet lower at 6221.7. The highest January point in the past six years was in 2012 when the lake was at 6226.62. The highest point during this period was on June 5, 2012 when the elevation of the lake was 6227.65.

Liberty Utilities announced significant progress was made today in getting power restored to several areas that remained without power since a powerful storm hit the Sierra Nevada this week.

With the use of helicopters and additional crews coming in from outside areas, lines are being repaired.

Although access to the power line that feeds the Floriston/Portola area presented a significant challenge, Liberty was able to restore power about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Most of the Tahoma area has been restored with the rest of the West Shore expected to be back online in 24 hours or so.