winter

Mother Nature brought several inches of snow to South Lake Tahoe overnight, surprising many who have learned to doubt the forecast this winter.

A winter weather advisory is in place for South Lake Tahoe until 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25. Snow should subside by 11 a.m. and then rain takes its place. Expect a high of 41 and low of 27, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Heavenly Mountain Resort and Kirkwood closed their ski operations last weekend, Sierra-at-Tahoe a few weeks before that.

It has been joked that there are two seasons in Lake Tahoe, winter and road construction. We escaped the winter portion in 2015, but it appears we will not escape the road construction portion.

There are three maps in this article that show all road projects around the lake, not just the City of South Lake Tahoe projects.

The University of California, Davis and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency recently released their yearly water clarity readings for Lake Tahoe. The good news: Mid-lake water clarity improved significantly in 2014, with an average reading of 77.8 feet. That’s 7.5 feet greater than the average reading for 2013, and almost 14 feet greater than the 64.1 feet measured in 1997, Lake Tahoe’s lowest recorded clarity.

The scene: The 1950s were a huge decade of change for South Lake Tahoe, with the proliferation of casinos on the Nevada side and the creation of the one-chair Heavenly ski resort on the California side. But the main attraction, then as now, was the lake itself, its shore dotted with mom-and-pop motels, vacation cottages and souvenir shops. When the original Red Hut opened here in 1959, South Lake Tahoe was becoming popular but the tourism infrastructure was nascent.

One of the top water users in the Reno area, Gov. Brian Sandoval said Wednesday he is taking steps to cut back on outdoor irrigation and plans to remove turf in his yard to set an example during this time of drought.

A landscape contractor who is taking care of Sandoval's Latigo Drive home while he and his family reside in the governor's Carson City mansion accepted blame for overwatering that at one point consumed more than 1 million gallons over the course of a year, according to records obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Now that the temperatures are rising, it is now time to start planning your home's weatherization check-up. Low income El Dorado County residents can keep their homes cooler this summer and warmer next winter, by taking advantage of free weatherization services through the El Dorado County Community Services Weatherization Program.

"The average household can save as much as $400 each year on their energy bills after weatherization," said Kyle Hartman, weatherization supervisor with Community Services.

There were more than 1,000 fires in California in 2014 and, because of the current dry conditions, 2015 is expected to be more of the same.

Vail Resorts announced today that the 2015-16 Tahoe local's pass will open up access to nine resorts.

Those who live in the Sierra Nevada already know about the minimal snowpack and the monthly snow survey conducted near Sierra-at-Tahoe showed just that.

The water content of the snow for the state as a whole is at 19% of the average for this time of year, with the central Sierras at 20% of average.

After weeks of spring-like conditions on the slopes, several inches of snow greeted skiers and boarders Saturday morning as a storm passed through Lake Tahoe.

Heavenly Mountain Resort received 6"-8" of new snow, while Sierra-at-Tahoe and Kirkwood both reported 7" overnight.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory which will last until 8 p.m. on Saturday. During the day another 1" to 2" of snow is expected with 2" to 4" at elevations above 7,000 ft.

There is a 40% chance of snow on Monday for up to 2".

A winter system is expected to drop into the Sierra and western Nevada Friday into Saturday bringing showers to the region according to the National Weather Service in Reno. This is a colder system and snow levels will quickly lower to 4,000 - 5,000 feet by Friday night into Saturday morning. Accumulating snow is probable in the Sierra with 6 inches or more possible above 7,000 feet and several inches elsewhere.

Heavy snow is on its way to central Nevada, prompting a winter storm watch for part of the Silver State.

The winter storm watch in effect from Saturday evening through Monday morning, the National Weather Service reports.

Some details:

•4 to 8 inches of snow in the valleys

•8 to 16 inches of snow in the mountains.

•2 feet of snow locally on the mountains of southeast White Pine County, including Great Basin National Park.

Post by US National Weather Service Elko NV:

"Snow will begin early Sunday morning across White Pine County," the weather service said.

Several different areas around the Lake Tahoe basin have been tapped for continued fire operations.

Over 700 acres will be burned north of Tahoma near Elizabeth Drive, southwest of Meeks Bay, on Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School and Gardner Street, Christmas Valley, Luther Pass near Grass Lake, and Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly. On the East Shore, operations may take place near Logan Creek Drive and off Highway 28 north of Spooner Summit.

Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

The FNCTN Winter Music Series continues on Friday, February 20 at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course Clubhouse when two bands hit the stage.

Eli Seth Lieberman, from Strive Roots, will start the evening out at 8:30 p.m. along with other entertainment including live painting, both non-profit and organization booths and giveaways from sponsors Sierra-at-Tahoe and Blackjack Taxi.

Wind gusts that reached up to 150 mph last weekend knocked over power poles and toppled trees onto live electrical wires throught the Liberty Energy territory in Northern California.

“Basically, crews have been working non-stop since the first storm arrived on Friday,” according to Mike Smart, Liberty Utilities-CA President. “For the past four days, we’ve reset poles, restrung wire and even made repairs to another utility’s infrastructure because it affected our ability to serve our customers.”

Aided by rainfall, firefighters were taking control of a forest fire that destroyed about 40 homes in the Eastern Sierra near Mammoth Mountain.

Crews had the blaze about 65% contained by Sunday, nearly two days after a blaze whipped by winds tore into the towns of Swall Meadows and Paradise, with about 250 inhabitants. The towns are about 25 miles southeast of the Mammoth Mountain ski resort, near U.S. Highway 395.

The main problem now is more than four dozen downed power lines and damaged trees, making conditions too hazardous to lift mandatory evacuation orders in the area.

February 01 Unkle Funkle @ McP's
Super Bowl Party @ Himmel Haus
Seraphin @ Northstar
February 02 Mark Wilson @ McP's
Ben Fuller @ West Shore Cafe
DJ Lambchop @ Fat Cat Cafe
February 03 Coop Da Loop, Dub Coling, Resonant Language @ Whisky Dick's
Buddy Emmer Blues Band @ Harrah's
Open Mic w/ Lucas Arizu @ Fat Cat Cafe
February 4-8 Alan Havey / Joe Dosch @ Improv at Harveys
February 04 Zebuel, Haylestorm, IJV @ The Grid
Chris Emmington @ fat Cat Cafe
February 05 The Saddle Tramps @ Hard Rock Hotel
Taking Root @ Rojo's

A lack of the snow in the Sierra Nevada isn't just hurting water supplies, it's also hurting vegetation around popular snowmobiling routes.

This preventable problem is being seen around the lake where snowmobiles on too little snow creates ruts in the soil and crushes vegetation.

The U.S. Forest Service is asking snowmobilers to shift their activities to locations with adequate snow coverage, within permitted snowmobile areas. Snowmobile operators should avoid bare dirt and patchy snow and should not ride across streams or over small trees or brush.

The word of the day: Pogonip.

That is what gave the top of South Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Mountain Resort the look of winter and fresh snow on Saturday morning.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, a cloud deck around 8,000-9,000 feet was in place most of the night and the supercooled liquid droplets froze on the branches becoming a thick coating of frost.

Here is the definition of "pogonip" from Wikipedia:

California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations on Monday, January 26, 2015. Operations may take place near Tahoe City on Highway 28 between Rocky Ridge and Lake Forest, near Emerald Bay at Eagle Point Campground, the Boat Camp and behind Vikingsholm, Gardner Mountain near South Tahoe High School, Luther Pass near Grass Lake, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, and on the East Shore near Logan Creek Drive and the north side of Spooner Summit. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

The El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents Before and After the Flames: Fire, Forest and Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada, a talk by Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Senior Vegetation Ecologist for the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (including California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and Dr. Becky Estes, ecologist with the the US Forest Service, Tuesday, January 27th, 7pm at the Planning Commission Meeting Room, Building C of the County Office Buildings, 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Vail Resorts announced the opening of the Terrain Park and Mombo Trail just in time for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, one of the biggest winter weekends in South Lake Tahoe.

Groove Park is Heavenly’s most popular progression park, providing an ideal learning environment for beginners with a variety of features including five rails, one bonk and two jumps.

Even though the calendar still says winter, it's time to sign up for little league. Registration for the 2015 South Tahoe National Little League season will be held on three upcoming dates.

In-person registration will be held at Kahle Community Center on Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Tahoe Ice Arena on Thursday, Feb. 5 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and at Tahoe Valley Elementary School on Monday, Feb. 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Live music, painting, giveaways and local sponsor and non-profit booths will all be part of the action as the FNCTN Winter Music Series has it's second event of the season. It will be rocking inside the Lake Tahoe Golf Course on Friday, January 23, 2015. Top S.F. Bay Area band Forrest Day and funky jam band Big Sticky Mess will both perform at the clubhouse.

Doors open at 8:00 p.m. and admission is $10 (FREE on your birthday) with affordable drink options available to suit a ski bum budget including Redbull with Tahoe Blue Vodka.