The weekend weather forecast delivered as advertised. Tahoe ski resorts got bombarded with snow Saturday and the snowfall continues one day later.
Lake Tahoe has seen an immense amount of snowfall in the past 24 hours. The winter storm warning has been effect since Friday evening and will remain until early Monday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, heavy snow is expected to continue throughout Sunday, with an additional 5-10 inches expected below 7,000 feet and 10-20 inches above 7,000 feet for the Lake Tahoe Basin.
With more than 3 feet of additional snow this weekend and 67 inches in the past week, Sugar Bowl now has a season-total of 148 inches, the most among Tahoe ski resorts. Palisades Tahoe has 147 inches, Mt. Rose has 145 and Northstar California is reporting 139.
SEE TAHOE SNOW REPORT BELOW
Sierra-at-Tahoe was reporting the most snowfall Sunday morning with 45 inches, one of six Tahoe ski resorts to get 40 or more inches over the 24-hour period. Northstar received 44 inches and both Diamond Peak and Tahoe Donner got 42.
“This is an impressive storm. We got 41 inches since Saturday morning, and it’s still coming down,” a message on the Sugar Bowl website said Sunday morning.
The snow was heavy Saturday and the winds were fierce, causing several Tahoe ski resorts to close due to extreme conditions. High winds were prevalent all day in the Tahoe region.
“We saw gusts across the ridge tops anywhere from 103 to 110 miles per hour,” said Kevin “Coop” Cooper, a Tahoe area travel expert.
The “Dragon Storm” – as it’s been named by Lake Tahoe snow forecaster Bryan Allegretto – was expected to bring large amounts of precipitation to the Sierra, all the way up to Mount Shasta and the northwest corner of the state, as well as the coastline into Southern California.
“It’s just so much snow so fast,” Allegretto said. “It’ll be snowing 1 to 3 inches (on the mountains) per hour Saturday night. It’s the perfect set-up just for huge amounts of snow, even down at lake level. Travel won’t be fun until Monday afternoon.”
RESORT CLOSURES, DELAYS: Located off Highway 50 heading into South Lake Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe initially delayed its Sunday opening, but said later on social media the resort was closed due to roughly 45 inches of new snow.
“We got 45 inches of snow in the last 24 hours! While we are beyond stoked, we are closed today to give ski patrol and mountain ops time to assess conditions and terrain,” a message from Sierra-at-Tahoe stated.
Mt. Rose announced its Sunday closure due to Mt. Rose Highway being closed for snow removal. The resort is expected to reopen Monday.
Gusting winds in the High Camp region at Palisades Tahoe hit a high of 165 mph Saturday. While digging out the mountain Sunday morning following nearly 3 feet of new snow, Palisades delivered this message to anxious skiers and riders. “Delays – that’s what to expect tomorrow. We anticipate that we will be slow to get things open.”
Heavenly started Sunday on an operational delay with no estimated time for opening. Gondola operations were closed for the day.
Northstar posted on social media – “Due to last night’s snow accumulation, expect operational delays.”
Both Sugar Bowl and Diamond Peak were on delayed openings as well.
HAZARDOUS DRIVING: On Interstate 80, travelers Saturday afternoon were redirected to turn back at Colfax where Caltrans closed a 70-mile stretch of the highway. There were whiteout conditions at Donner Summit.
At around 9 am Sunday, Caltrans reopened I-80 eastbound and westbound for passenger vehicle traffic only. Chains are required. Heading east, trucks are not allowed past Applegate (near Colfax). Heading west, trucks are being held at the California state line.
Highway 50 leading into South Lake Tahoe was closed Saturday between Meyers and Echo Summit for avalanche control. The highway reopened early Sunday morning after avalanche control operations ended. Chain controls are still in effect over the summit leading into Tahoe.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (Dec. 11)
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 45 inches
- Northstar: 44 inches
- Diamond Peak: 42 inches
- Tahoe Donner: 42 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 41 inches
- Homewood: 40 inches
- Mt. Rose: 39 inches
- Palisades: 35 inches
- Granlibakken: 33 inches
- Heavenly: 32 inches
- Kirkwood: 30 inches
- Boreal: NA
- Soda Springs: NA
