If you’re headed to a Lake Tahoe ski resort this weekend for skiing or snowboarding you might want to reconsider. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory that will run through 10 p.m. tonight.
Skiers and riders might expect the high snow levels to look like a winter wonderland, but rain is expected to drench the Tahoe area and could melt the fresh powder and cause dangerous flooding in the mountains and below.
The National Weather Service is advising travelers to postpone trips until Monday, when the snow level falls. Travel is being discouraged. This could be the most powerful storm to hit Northern California in more than a decade with flooding likely and some epic snowfall at higher elevations.
It was snowing at lower elevations Saturday morning at Lake Tahoe ski resorts. Predictions up to 10 inches of snow are expected above 5,000 feet elevation and the totals could reach two feet at the highest peaks. The new storm is expected to eventually rain except at higher elevations. The storm could bring 6 to 12 inches of rain in much of the Tahoe Basin, starting Saturday night through Monday morning. Above 8,500 feet, snow could pile up as high as 6 feet.
“We are preparing for a major flood,” said Lt. Brian Williams with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.
Chain are required for all vehicles except four-wheel-drives with snow tires from Kingvale in Placer County to Truckee in Nevada County on Interstate 80, according to Caltrans. Chains were also required on Highway 50 from Twin Bridges to Meyers in El Dorado County.
“We really ask people to slow down to watch their following distances, not make multiple lane changes. Bring speed down,” said CHP Officer Vu Williams.
The Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area announced that it might be closed Sunday due to the impending storm. The resort asks cross country skiers to check its website – http://tahoexc.org/snow_conditions – Saturday night for a final decision.
