Snow began piling up Thursday night at Lake Tahoe ski resorts and continued Friday, resulting in significant amounts greeting skiers and snowboarders this morning.
Yes, winter has returned, at least for a few days.
Sugar Bowl ski resort received the most snow of any Lake Tahoe ski resort, reporting 16 inches Friday morning. Not far behind was Northstar California with 13 inches overnight and Kirkwood Mountain and Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows with 12 inches each. Sierra-at-Tahoe reported 10 inches this morning.
Other morning snow totals included Homewood Mountain (9), Boreal Mountain (7), Tahoe Donner (7), Donner Ski Ranch (6), Diamond Peak (4) and Heavenly Mountain reported three inches.
After more than a week of spring-like conditions, the sizable storm descended on the Lake Tahoe region Thursday night. According to Snow Forecaster Bryan Allegretto, Lake Tahoe ski resorts could receive up to 3½ feet of snow by Saturday evening.
Snow continued throughout Lake Tahoe on Friday with colder temperatures. Some areas could receive up to 15 inches of new snow. Snow showers will linger into Saturday where the winds may gust to 65 mph
There should be a break in the weather Sunday through Wednesday, but spring-like temperatures will not return. Another storm is anticipated Wednesday night through Friday.
By mid-March, there were eight Lake Tahoe ski resorts that had received 600 or more inches this season. Historically, the average annual snowfall at upper elevations in the Lake Tahoe-Truckee region is 450 inches.
Heavenly reached 600 inches of snow by March. The South Lake Tahoe ski resort averages 360 inches per season. According to Heavenly Mountain spokesperson Anna Jacobson, this is the 16th time since 1879 that the summit at Heavenly has passed the 600-inch mark. The last time was 2011.
“It’s been a truly amazing season,” Jacobson said. “The snow really started coming in December and it just never stopped.”
Due to the large snow totals, most Lake Tahoe ski resorts pushed back their closing date by at least a week or more.
Closing dates for Lake Tahoe resorts.
- Homewood: April 16
- Kirkwood Mountain: April 16
- Tahoe Donner: April 16
- Donner Ski Ranch: April 17
- Granlibakken: April 17
- Soda Springs: April 23
- Sugar Bowl: April 23
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: April 23
- Diamond Peak: April 23
- Northstar: April 23
- Boreal Mountain: April 23
- Heavenly Mountain: April 30
- Mt. Rose: May 29
- Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows: July 4
