The white stuff comes at a very opportune time, setting up a classic three-day holiday weekend of skiing and snowboarding at Tahoe ski resorts.
The blockbuster storm delivered as advertised Thursday, with 10 Tahoe ski resorts getting between 2 to 3½ feet by Friday morning and setting up an epic powder day throughout the Tahoe region. And the snow is expected to continue into late morning to the delight of what should be crowded slopes throughout Presidents’ Day weekend.
Mt. Rose tops the list for one-day snow totals Friday (Feb. 14), reporting 42 inches at its summit and getting 40 inches at base level. The resort, located off the Mt. Rose Highway and approximately 10 miles from Incline Village in North Lake Tahoe and 25 miles from Reno, had a whopping two-day total of 54 inches (4½ feet).
CHECK OUT THE LATEST TAHOE SNOW REPORT BELOW
The only downside for Mt. Rose was Friday morning state route 431 was closed from Reno to Incline Village. However, the main artery to the ski resort was expected to be open before the noon hour. Due to heavy snow totals, expect travel to be slow throughout Friday on both I-80 and Highway 50, the primary arteries into Lake Tahoe.
How good was this storm? Kirkwood reported the least amount of snowfall from Thursday’s storm with 20 inches and Heavenly had 21 inches. Those were the only two Tahoe ski resorts not getting at least 2 feet of fresh snow.
Sugar Bowl received 29 inches from the latest storm and anticipates perhaps the best powder day of the 2024-25 season.
“It’s deep out there powder hounds. This is going to be an epic one folks. Deep, deep pow,” a message on the Sugar Bowl website stated. “We’re working hard to get things spinning, but expect a delayed opening as we dig out and ensure everything is safe.”
WEEKEND WEATHER: Snow continued Friday morning and was expected to come to a halt by early afternoon. More good news is the previous two days of high winds will also subside Friday. Additional snowfall could be up to 10 inches at some resorts.
According to OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto, the weather looks nice for Saturday with mostly sunny skies and highs in the 40s for the lower elevations and 30s on the upper mountain. There’s a chance of a few scattered snow showers Sunday and Monday. Strong winds could return on Sunday, with ridgetop gusts possibly reaching up to 60-80 mph, which could close some upper mountain ski lifts.
SEASON SNOW TOTALS: Mt. Rose received the most snow from the recent storm and not surprisingly tops of the list of most snowfall this season among Tahoe ski resorts.
Mt. Rose has received 265 inches of snow this season, including 226 at its base area of 8,260 feet, the highest among all Tahoe ski resorts.
Overall, there are five Tahoe ski resorts that have exceeded the 200-inch mark for the season. Sugar Bowl is a close second to Mt. Rose with 258 inches, followed by Palisades Tahoe (244), Soda Springs (206 inches) and Boreal Mountain (202).
Regarding season snow totals, it’s been a down year thus far for a pair of South Lake Tahoe ski resorts. Heavenly has received 155 inches at its summit, but just 71 inches at its base level. Sierra-at-Tahoe, which averages around 400 inches per season, is residing at 132 inches at its summit this year and 86 inches at its base level (6,640 feet).
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (Feb. 14)
- Mt. Rose: 42 inches
- Diamond Peak: 36 inches
- Tahoe Donner: 34 inches
- Northstar: 31 inches
- Granlibakken: 30 inches
- Boreal: 30 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 29 inches
- Soda Springs: 28 inches
- Palisades Tahoe: 25 inches
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 24 inches
- Heavenly: 21 inches
- Kirkwood: 20 inches
- Homewood: Closed for season
