lake tahoe basin

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Lake Tahoe Basin from midnight Wednesday night to 10:00 a.m. Thursday.

Periods of light snow are expected. Total snow accumulations 1-3 inches for Truckee and Lake Tahoe areas, with 2-5 inches at passes including Donner and Mt Rose.

Most of the snow will fall between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Thursday.

A storm coming in on Friday night looks to be part of a busy storm pattern through the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - USFS Fire Captain Dave Soldavini from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is currently assigned to Australia as part of an interagency group helping with fire suppression efforts.

Soldavini is part of the third group of fire resources the country has deployed to Australia.

On Dec. 30, 2019, the Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior sent 44 personnel to Australia. An additional 21 personnel were mobilized on Jan. 4, 2020, and will replace a previous group of American firefighters mobilized in early December.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Caltrans will continue roadwork projects in El Dorado County and Lake Tahoe as weather permits. All grading has been completed in the Lake Tahoe Basin until Spring 2020.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been windy in Lake Tahoe since Saturday morning, and the wind was ahead of the next storm which is slated to enter the Lake Tahoe Basin Sunday morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory from the National Weather Service (NWS) is in place from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, December 22.

STATELINE, Nev. - Six projects were given Best in the Basin awards Wednesday by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). The presentation of the 29th annual winners was made before their board meeting at Stateline.

The TRPA Best in Basin awards program showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A new forest management officer (FMO) has arrived in Lake Tahoe to assume the duties left vacant by the retiring Steve Burns.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) Board has authorized spending $1,036,750 to implement three high-priority projects to reduce fire risk and improve forest health in South Lake Tahoe and on the west shore.

During their meeting on Thursday, the CTC Board approved funding for projects that include:

- Spending up to $211,250 on forest thinning on Conservancy land in the South Lake Tahoe Ski Run and Bijou neighborhoods,

- A grant to the South Tahoe Public Utility District for up to $338,000 for forest thinning on the grounds of its treatment plant, and

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the Lake Tahoe Basin from Friday, December 13 at 4:00 p.m. to Saturday, December 14 at 10:00 a.m.

A series of systems will bring additional rain and snow to the region through Sunday, starting with a relatively warm system Thursday into Friday morning. It will bring gusty winds to western Nevada with rain and very high elevation snow for the Sierra and portions of northeast California, according to the National Weather Service.

The AlertTahoe 11-camera system surrounding the Lake Tahoe Basin has been credited for detecting its 57th fire since first being installed in 2013.

As the Kincade Fire in Sonoma and the Easy Fire in Southern California raged, a camera in Lake Tahoe spotted a small fire on the West Shore. Fire crews were able to respond and quickly put it out.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Winter Storm Watch has been ungraded to a Winter Storm Warning for the Lake Tahoe Basin, Truckee and Donner Pass until noon on Sunday.

Changes from the previous forecast include the added threat for high intensity snowfall and thundersnow Saturday evening.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) has been awarded a large piece of funding to help its $10.6 million project to restore the 500 acre Upper Truckee River Marsh.

CTC was awarded $2.98M by the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to help with the project at the marsh, the largest wetland in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There is one word to describe Wednesday: SNOW! Winter made its appearance in the Lake Tahoe basin Tuesday and will continue this week as one storm exits and another stops by.

Lake Tahoe Community College is closed for the day. The college will reopen at its normal time after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend on Monday, Dec. 2. The City of South Lake Tahoe offices are open.

Billions of invasive Mysis shrimp, introduced in the 1960s, live in Lake Tahoe, where they eat native zooplankton that historically helped keep the lake blue and clear while also serving as a food source for native fish.

If one removes the shrimp from Lake Tahoe, what is done with them?

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) is conducting a five-minute survey of all dog owners to see if they would consider a product for their dog made from Mysis shrimp.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Lake Tahoe Basin from 4:00 p.m. Tuesday to 4:00 p.m. Heavy snow is expected with total accumulations of 8-18 inches at lake level and 1-2 feet above 7000 feet. Localized totals near 3 feet are possible over the multi-day period along the Sierra Crest. Winds will be gusting as high as 60 mph.

The worst conditions will be late Tuesday through midday Wednesday.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, along with California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the USDA Forest Service are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations over the next few weeks in the Tahoe Basin, weather, conditions, and staffing permitted.

Scheduled Prescribed Burns:

Tahoe Pines Campground

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation has announced a donation of $18,057 to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) to enhance wildfire suppression capabilities on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. This donation will result in the expansion of strategic and tactical Wildfire Pre Attack plans covering the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. Pre Attack Plans help first responders by identifying critical infrastructure, vulnerable population groups, evacuation routes, water sources, Temporary Refuge Areas, and locations where forests have been thinned before a wildfire strikes.

Last week our collective memories returned to that terrible November morning as a raging wildfire swept through Paradise, California. We woke that morning to images of wholesale devastation as fearsome winds drove racing flames from one town and one home to the next. We were horrified to watch videos of citizens running for their lives, desperately trying to escape the smoke and flames that were engulfing everything in their path. Eighty-five people lost their lives—the deadliest fire in California history— in what we now call the Camp Fire.

The winners of the 12th annual Blue Ribbon Awards were announced Thursday, November 14, at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Over 300 community members attended to celebrate the winners of seven awards that honor outstanding South Shore businesses, organizations and individuals for civic contributions, tourism experiences, customer service and entrepreneurial achievements.

Congratulations to the following winners of the 12th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards:

Geotourism Award – Sponsored by Bike the West
Winner: Sample the Sierra
Honorable Mention: Clearly Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - If weather and conditions permit, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, along with California State Parks are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks in the Tahoe Basin.

The planned burn areas:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - People have been asking for weeks when the popular Christmas Tree permits will be going on sale in Lake Tahoe. Though exact details on all of the locations where the permits will be sold, the will go on sale November 25, 2019.

Last year the permits were sold out in two weeks.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will sell the permits on a first-come, first-served basis. Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar trees up to six inches in diameter (at the base) in designated cutting areas.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has released the "Proposed Action for the Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Travel Management Project," and in that document are changes to snowmobile access in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

They have proposed to open OSV use (snowmobiles) to areas around the lake that have been restricted in the past and close up other areas. The plan still leaves about 50 percent of the lands managed by LTBMU open to OSV use.

The new areas proposed for OSV use

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and California State Parks may continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks in the Tahoe Basin, if weather and conditions permit.

- West side of Third Creek drainage, above Jennifer Dr. by the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. 38 acres of understory 10/21 - 10/27/19. Duration of Ignition and Smoke Production: 1-2 days of ignition and 2 days of burn down time
Estimated Direction of Smoke Travel: North/Northeast/East. Smoke may be visible throughout the Tahoe Basin and surrounding communities

After pleasant weather conditions today, gusty winds and some fire weather, travel, and recreation concerns return Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Today will be characterized by generally light winds and average temperatures in South Lake Tahoe, with some sun. Expect this to change by Saturday, however, as a wave drops out of the Pacific Northwest bringing gusty winds to the region. So, if you have outdoor fall and Halloween decorations, today will be a good day to check that they are secured.

10.15.19 7:00 p.m. UPDATE: Tuesday was a productive day for firefighters. The northern ridge and southwestern corner are now contained and being patrolled. The containment lines on the eastern and southwestern sides of the fire containment lines are in progress. The hand line on the south side was extended farther northeast towards Castle Point by crews using tactical firing operations. Stronger winds from the southwest are expected late Wednesday afternoon and evening with light precipitation expected Thursday morning.