Tahoe Weather Blog

We talked about two storms colliding to form one very powerful storm. We also talked about high pressure moving in after the weekend and a third, very cold storm for the weekend. Now, the third storm is going to collide with the first two and produce a huge weather event that will last through next weekend. The wildcard is snow levels. They will definitely start very low and then rise rapidly as the southern storm infuses warm, subtropical air and moisture into the equation. Lots of it. Then, just as rapidly snow levels will plummet, all the way to the valley floor by next weekend. Here is what the European model (most reliable) is seeing over the next 5 days. The further north the red lines, the warmer the air: This evening (2/12), we are right on the proverbial Mason/Dixon line of warm and cold air. We believe snow levels will now start around 5,500 feet, which means all (or mostly) rain for the valley. Tomorrow (2/13) at noon, warm air dominating tons of moisture and prec

We are tracking 3 storms for the next week, all on the colder side. All taking aim at Tahoe. All impressive in their own way. The first storm is hitting us now, we talked about it last post. It showed up right on time. It will move quickly and be mostly out of here by noon tomorrow (2/10). This storm is ushering in a pretty impressive cold front. Anybody who was up on Rose today prior to the lifts closing down probably felt some of the coldest air of the winter. In our last post we talked about two storms converging on Tahoe from the North and South. Here is a look at the forecast for early Tuesday (2/12) morning: You can clearly see the two storms. These two storms are on a collision course and will actually join forces to become one big storm by Tuesday night: This storm is going to hammer the entire state of California including Lake Tahoe and surrounding area. This storm will clear out by Thursday at noon, not before dumping many feet of snow in our area and probably e

The weather pattern will remain very active with a series of storms bearing down on Tahoe.  Like our last few storms, these storms come in with very cold air and should be all snow for all Tahoe resorts. Remember, the later we get in the season, the tougher it is for storms to get over to our side of the lake. The first of the storms, will be shadowed almost entirely by the Sierra. In fact we are not looking for much precip anywhere, but what little falls, will be at the crest on the other side of the lake. Here is a look at the first storm which will begin to effect the area late Friday night (2/9): : This storm slams into the Sierra and then dips south. However, that will open the door for the next storm to drop in from the north. That storm will show up late Saturday afternoon (2/10) and will impact both sides of the lake: This storm should hang around throughout all of Sunday. The following week has several large storms, that will be warmer, that could bring even more

For a complete recap of what is going to happen in the Carson Range and Sierra, see the last 2 posts. This update is to warn the folks who live in the leeward valleys (Reno and Carson), that the potential exists for heavy snow starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday afternoon. We have seen this pattern before, as a colder storm drops down on a near perfect trajectory to spill over the mountains and into the valley.  The potential exists for 1-3 feet in the foothills and up to a foot on the valley floor. Mt. Rose could see as much as 6-8 feet of snow between now and next Wednesday! These storms will put us over our season average for a 4th straight year. As we like to say, averages have a way of catching up, so enjoy the great skiing and riding conditions! Stay Tuned ...

The end of our dry period is around 24 hours away. We have talked about this storm for a few weeks now and it is shaping up to be a very active 4-day weather event. First, here is the precip forecast: We are now looking at 4-5 inches of liquid for the Carson Range, while the western side of the lake, in the High Sierra could be looking at 7-8 inches of liquid. Areas down around Mammoth could see up to 10 inches of liquid precip. We have bumped up our Carson Range precip totals to 2-5 feet of snow. We are leaning in the 40 inch range, but that could go higher or lower. As far as elevations are concerned, we believe this will be all snow for Mt. Rose. The leading edge of very warm air will see snow levels in the 7,000 foot range, but those will quickly fall all the way down to 4,000 feet by Sunday night. This will be very beneficial for all Tahoe Resorts! The peak of the precip should be all day Saturday. Then a very short break and starting up again Sunday afternoon and las

As our ridge of high pressure gets kicked back out to sea, a storm door will open and should start Friday afternoon (2/1)  and last through most of the following Monday (2/4) . The peak of the storms should be hitting very early on Saturday morning: After a near miss on Thursday, a much bigger storm should effect the entire state of California. Right now the models have the Central Sierra taking the biggest blow, but I think we will get our fair share. You can see by the image, with the counter clockwise rotation of the low pressure system, warm, moist air will accompany this storm. I expect snow levels to start fairly high (7,500 - 8,000 feet) on Friday. As the storm moves south, it will then drag down some cooler air by Sunday, so I expect snow levels to drop through the event. Here is a look at the precip forecast: The trajectory of the initial storm will be subject to some shadowing, but we still expect the Carson Range to pick up 1-2 feet. Initially, Sierra Cement. B

The final storm in the series of storms will hit today. The trajectory of this storm has improved as the storm will hit Tahoe directly. The storm has ample moisture, will come in warm with snow elevations around 7,500 feet. It is packing a strong cold front that will bring snow all the way to the valley floor by tonight. Here is a look a the precip potential: We are seeing an additional 1-2 feet of snow for Mt. Rose, with other Tahoe areas picking up rain on the lower mountain eventually turning to all snow. With this storm comes gusty winds for the Sierra and Carson range with ridge top winds exceeding 100 mph. After this storm a ridge of high pressure moves in and this storm cycle, for all practical purposes is over. We see dry weather for the next 7-10 days or more. Looking way down the road, the ridge finally breaks down around February 2nd. A couple of storms look to make it into our area sometime around then. Stay Tuned ...