How much snow will drop on Lake Tahoe ski resorts?
Will the storms descending on Lake Tahoe ski resorts this week dump a sizable amount of much-needed snow?
The possibility certainly exists, especially at higher elevations. But we’re talking about winter weather in the Sierra, which many times has an unpredictable outcome.
The National Weather Service (NWS) says 1-2 feet of snow could accumulate at higher elevations, while 6-12 inches is possible at base levels of Lake Tahoe ski resorts.
OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto isn’t as optimistic regarding the snow totals from a storm that’s expected to begin Thursday evening and continue into Friday afternoon.
The Lake Tahoe snow forecaster feels that “total snowfall by Friday afternoon could be 3-10 inches at lake level, and 4-15 inches at upper elevations. He believes that a foot of new snow could arrive on mountains located on the West side of the lake.
One thing the NWS and Allegretto can agree on is the storm will begin Thursday with high winds – gusts between 65 and 70 mph – prevalent in the afternoon. It’s likely the start of a 24-hour period where staying indoors is advisable. The conditions could be whiteout Thursday afternoon and continue into Friday morning. Driving will be a hazard as well.
A strong cold front is anticipated Thursday evening that likely continues into the weekend. High temperatures may only be in the 30’s at base level and drip into the 20’s on the upper mountain for Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
More snow is being predicted for Sunday evening. Allegretto says that Lake Tahoe ski resorts could see another 3-6 inches on the mountains by Monday morning.
There’s also an excellent chance that more snow will be arriving Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 24-25). Allegretto believes the snow could be wetter than the previous two storms.
A Look Back at Last Year: The current conditions are a great contrast to January 2017. Squaw Valley received 15 feet of snow by the middle of the month, its largest January snowfall in 45 years. And there was more to come the remainder of the month.
More than 17 feet of new snow dropped on the Lake Tahoe region over the first two weeks of January. The amount was the largest two-week snow total in the past 35 years in Lake Tahoe.
The Sierra snowpack was 6.5 feet on Jan. 1, 2017 and by Jan. 12 it was measured at 20.1 feet.
