conditions

Fall in Lake Tahoe normally brings with it a myriad of temperatures and conditions, and this year is no different. When Fall starts on Thursday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, chance of snow above 7,000 feet wind and a high of 55.

Starting today, a small weather system is passing by the lake, bringing with it

9/19/16 update 8:00 p.m. - The Owens River Fire has now burned 6,050 acres east of Highway 395 and is now 20 percent contained. The fire is burning southeast of June Lake and northeast of Mammoth Lake.

9:00 a.m. update 9/18: The Owens River Fire burning east of Highway 395 and north of Owens River Road in Mono County has exploded to an estimated 4,500 acres. Even with the growth, firefighter were able to get it 10% contained.

Named the Owens River Fire, it is burning in sagebrush and Jeffrey pine.

Firefighters continue to fight 13 blazes across the state of California, which have now burned almost 209,000 acres. That is 326.5 square miles of land burned in the state from current fires, not counting those that have since been extinguished.

The burned area is larger than the City of New York.

The largest fire, the Soberanes Fire near Big Sur, has burned 92,314 acres as is now 60 percent contained.

Calaveras County's Willow Fire is the closest to South Lake Tahoe. It started on Saturday and has burned 450 acres and is 30 percent contained.

Kirkwood Mountain and Vail Resorts are facing steep fines after an anonymous complaint led Central Valley Water Board officials to investigate water quality impacts after it was found that asphalt grindings from parking lots at the resort ended up in Kirkwood Creek during snow removal operations during the 2015-16 season.

It was found during the inspection that the asphalt grindings, commonly spread on parking lots to assist with traction during icy and snowy conditions, ended up in Kirkwood Creek and other sensitive areas.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid will host President Obama, California Governor Jerry Brown and California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Harvey's Outdoor Arena. Nevada’s homegrown band, the Killers, will also take the stage for a special performance.

The time for the summit has changed to 1:30 p.m. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Those attending can expect heavy traffic and road closures.

On July 28, 71-year-old Rosalynn Saxsenmeier wandered away from her camping spot in the Silver Valley Campground at Lake Alpine at 2:00 p.m. and hasn't been seen since.

Many agencies are assisting in the search and combing a 100-mile area for the El Granada (Half Moon Bay area), Calif., woman. A "Silver Alert" has been issued via the California Highway Patrol as well. Search and rescue teams from El Dorado, Tuolumne, Marin, Contra Costa, Placer and Calaveras counties have been joined by K-9 crews, CA Office of Emergency Services and the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit.

The fires responsible for sending smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin and Northern Nevada have burned 47,876 acres since being started by lightning strikes on Friday morning.

Known as the Virginia Mountains Complex, the five separate wildland fires include the Anderson (13,196 acres), Sage (4,238 acres), Seven Lakes (3,063 acres), Rock (2,293 acres) and Tule (27,379 acres) Fires. All are burning on mostly BLM land within about 20 miles of each other in an arc about 35 miles north of Reno.

Lake Tahoe experienced a year like no other in 2015, according to scientists from the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in its annual Tahoe: State of the Lake Report, released this week.

Lake Tahoe is experienced warming water, a 4.8 foot drop in clarity, increased algae and a lowering water level.

Thanks to global climate change, Lake Tahoe is warming faster than ever according to the report which covers results from tests conducted on the lake in 2015 concerning water temperature, clarity, invasive species and more.

A Gut-Feeling: How intestinal microbes modulate mood and behavior, with Melanie Gareau a physiologist at the University of California, Davis, is part of the Mental Health in the Mountains series of educational talks.

A 4,000 acres project in the North Lake Tahoe area is underway to thin trees in the forests to be both fire safe by reducing fuels, and to keep the forest healthy.

The latest project in the Incline Village area started last week on approximately 355 acres of National Forest System lands above Incline Village. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place on USFS urban lots and in areas adjacent to communities over the next several months and some areas will be closed for public safety.

Hot and dry weather will continue in the region according to the National Weather Service, but with the warm temperatures and low humidity comes a "Fire Weather Warning."

NWS is forecasting gusty winds and high fire danger on Sunday and Monday and they are urging extreme caution, especially near dry grass and brush.

Gusty winds and waves up to 3 feet will produce hazardous conditions for boating, kayaking and paddle boarding. Calm lake conditions in the morning can quickly turn dangerous once the winds kick up, so remember to always wear your personal flotation device.

With road construction to enhance driver safety on U.S. 50 in Lake Tahoe’s Cave Rock area, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is reminding motorists to anticipate minor travel delays during special events such as the American Century Championship golf tournament.

“We encourage everyone to visit and enjoy Lake Tahoe,” NDOT District Engineer Thor Dyson explained. “But, with many visitors traveling to Lake Tahoe, drivers should plan a little extra travel time for road improvements being made in the Cave Rock area.”

Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada are not alone this weekend as a combination of hot and dry conditions with gusty winds will bring dangerous fire weather conditions to a large portion of the western U.S. Any fire in this region will have the potential to grow rapidly out of control so extreme caution is urged near dry grass and brush. Numerous Red Flag Warnings are in effect from the Sierra Nevada to the High Plains of South Dakota.

Fire and law enforcement officers across the State are working together to confiscate illegal fireworks and get them off the street. In Placer County, an announced inspection of all vehicles going through the Truckee agricultural station netted 1,882 pounds of illegal fireworks, resulting in 20 misdemeanor citations and seven felony arrests.

In another operation, CAL FIRE joined a multi-agency fireworks seizure operation in San Bernardino County that resulted in the confiscation of 25,406 pounds of illegal fireworks, 51 misdemeanor citations issued, as well as two felony arrests.

8:30 p.m. update 7/4/16: Firefighters working on the Trailhead Fire in El Dorado County gained a lot of ground Monday, getting a containment line around 50 percent of the fire. So far, 5,444 acres have burned.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The Cave Rock tunnel and road project on Highway 50 is approximately 25 percent completed according the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). The road construction is to enhance driver safety along the east shore of Lake Tahoe, but with the massive, $6 million undertaking, there are minor traffic delays. With the upcoming July 4 holiday, NDOT is reminding drivers that they should anticipate these minor travel delays.

9:30 a.m. update 6/26: Firefighters have gained some control of the Marina Fire burning near Mono Lake and the town of Lee Vining. The 758 acre fire is 30 percent contained.

Highway 395 is closed at the town of Lee Vining on the south at the turnoff for Hawthorne, NV (Highway 167) on the north. However, California Highway Patrol is conducting one-way traffic escorts as conditions allow. Mono County Sheriff and Caltrans District 9 have worked tirelessly with CHP to implement this escort.

The search for Marc Ma, the 20-year-old University of Nevada Reno football player who went missing after a paddleboard outting on Lake Tahoe with teammates, will resume on Thursday, June 16.

The Tahoe Dive Team and volunteers from the Placer County Sheriff's Office will be joined by Kern County Sheriff's deputies and an out-of-state company to search for Ma who went missing on the afternoon of June 10 when winds came up and created dangerous conditions including 3- to 5-foot waves.

On May 31, 2016, Liberty Utilities began helicopter tree removal for the portion of the 650 Electrical Line Upgrade Project on National Forest System lands north of Highway 267 from Brockway Summit to Kings Beach. Public access to the area will be limited during the helicopter operations for public safety.

Every year, countless dogs die in cars on summer days. Sometimes it’s not even that hot outside. Many times the window is cracked and the car is parked in the shade. The startling truth is that even in seemingly safe conditions the temperature inside your car can soar to life-threatening heights in just ten minutes – about the time it takes to run into the post office or the coffee shop or the pet store.

Even on a relatively mild day, your car can turn into an oven with frightening speed.

Motorists should keep in mind the Cave Rock area construction project as they plan their travel around Lake Tahoe not only over the Memorial Day weekend, but during all holidays and this summer. The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) is reminding motorists to anticipate minor travel delays.

“We encourage everyone to visit and enjoy Lake Tahoe,” NDOT District Engineer Thor Dyson explained. “But, with many visitors traveling to Lake Tahoe for holidays such as Fourth of July, drivers should plan a little extra travel time for road improvements being made in the Cave Rock area.”

Drought conditions and resulting bark beetle infestations have caused pervasive tree mortality across the Central and Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is estimated that there are over 29 million dead trees and this number continues to grow on a daily basis. El Dorado County is not immune to this epidemic as there are thousands of dead and dying trees threatening public safety and infrastructure.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of personal use fuelwood permits at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe on Monday, May 23, 2016, and at the North Shore office at 855 Alder Avenue in Incline Village on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

Permits should be purchased early and wood collected promptly as fire restrictions are likely to go into effect early and there may be days when no cutting is allowed.