As much as 6 new feet of snow has dropped at Tahoe ski resorts over the past three days.
The reward for the 72 hours of snowstorms starts Friday (Jan. 29) for skiers and snowboarders who are planning to visit a Tahoe ski resort.
Snow showers may linger into Friday morning before ending and continuing into Monday morning. Friday is definitely a major powder day – thigh to waist deep – thanks to 3-6 feet of new snow over the previous 72 hours.
“With a bluebird weekend on the way and seemingly endless powder stashes, be prepared to get to the mountain early and stay updated with mountain operations on our website,” a note on the Sierra-at-Tahoe website said.
Sierra-at-Tahoe had the most snow from the storm on Thursday (Jan. 28), getting 30 inches. The resort, located off Highway 50 heading into South Lake Tahoe, also has the highest three-day total this week with 72 inches (6 feet).
The snow continues to pile up at Tahoe Donner, which got 26 more inches Thursday for a three-day total of 71 inches. Both Sugar Bowl and Alpine Meadows had a three-day total of 65 inches, while three other resorts (Squaw Valley, Northstar, Kirkwood) got more than 5-feet of fresh snow.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (three-day total, reported Jan. 29)
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 30 new inches – 72 total
- Tahoe Donner: 26 new inches – 71 total
- Sugar Bowl: 26 new inches – 65 total
- Alpine Meadows: 23 new inches – 65 total
- Northstar: 20 new inches – 63 total
- Squaw Valley: 21 new inches – 63 total
- Kirkwood: 23 new inches – 61 total
- Homewood: 19 new inches – 59 total
- Mt. Rose: 4 new inches – 58 total
- Boreal: 10 new inches – 54 total
- Soda Springs: 10 new inches – 54 total
- Diamond Peak: 16 new inches – 41 total
- Heavenly: 6 new inches – 40 total
Sierra-at-Tahoe had the most snow from the storm on Thursday, getting 30 inches for a three-day total of 72 inches (6 feet).
Interstate I-80 was closed Thursday night, but opened Friday morning. For travelers heading to the Lake Tahoe region, I-80 and Highway 50 are open, but expect traffic and chains will be required. Plan for slow travel on the roads. Highway 88 heading into Kirkwood ski resort was closed Friday morning due to avalanche control.
“This truly has been a spectacular week on Donner Summit and now is the time to come up and reap the benefit,” noted the Sugar Bowl ski website. “The snow will be the deepest it has been this season and we all love deep snow.”
The extreme conditions with deep snow also means taking extra caution. Once on the mountain, skiers and riders need to respect the risks of post-storm skiing and riding, including tree well immersion.
WEEKEND FORECAST: According to Bryan Allegretto, California Snow Forecaster for OpenSnow.com, the storm is moving east Friday. There will be some lingering snow showers Friday morning and some clouds throughout the day as the storm departs.
Allegretto predicts mostly sunny skies Saturday with temperature highs in the 30s. Wind gusts for the weekend don’t look very strong, maybe gusting up to 30-plus mph over the ridges.
On Saturday expect a beautiful, bluebird day at crowded Tahoe ski resorts. On Sunday, the next storm pushes into Northern California, but stays to the north of Lake Tahoe. There may be some clouds Sunday if this system creeps close enough to Tahoe ski resorts.
EXTENDED FORECAST: Another storm hits the Tahoe region, starting sometime Monday. It is expected to drop between 11-28 inches on Tahoe ski resorts. The initial precipitation may reach the Tahoe Basin on Monday afternoon with snow levels starting out around 6,500-7,000 feet.
“Monday night the cold front approaches with some heavier snow pushing in and snow levels dropping below 5,000 feet by Tuesday morning,” writes Allegretto. “The heaviest snow could fall Tuesday morning as the cold front moves through. Then we could see snow showers behind the font lingering into Tuesday evening before ending Tuesday night. Snow levels dip to 3,000 feet by Tuesday evening.”
Starting Wednesday, high pressure builds, bringing a drier pattern into the first weekend of February. Wednesday through Saturday should be bluebird days at Tahoe ski resorts.
