Storm brings much needed water to Lake Tahoe

Submitted by paula on Tue, 12/22/2015 - 10:36am

Lake Tahoe rose almost two inches yesterday which equals 63.9 billion gallons of added water.

The National Weather Service in Reno has provided this chart on how much water actually was in yesterday's storm. As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, they report the lake rose 1.92 inches and more precipitation is expected today and Thursday.

All waterways through El Dorado County were rising on Monday, prompting local flood warnings which have now expired. Placerville received 3.08 inches of rain in this storm ad they are now at 97% of average for season to date totals.

The Lake Tahoe ski areas are all reporting strong snowfall totals in the last 24 hours:

Heavenly - 36"
Kirkwood - 37"
Sierra at Tahoe - 26"
Squaw Valley - 36"
Alpine Meadows - 34"
Northstar - 34"
Mt. Rose - 24"

Another five to ten inches of snow is forecast for Christmas Eve, along with colder temperatures.

The three day forecast for South Lake Tahoe from the National Weather Service:

Today - Scattered rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a west wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Tonight - A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday - A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night - A 20 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 24. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Christmas Eve -Snow. During the day: High near 27. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible. Night: Snow likely, mainly before 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 12. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Christmas Day - A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 23. During the evening, partly cloudy, with a low around 3.