Tahoeloco.com July 2, 2009 The Independence Day weekend in Tahoe should be warm but not hot and mostly free of thunderstorms. We can’t ask for much better than that. The thunderstorms that have been building in the region all week should peak today, with widespread storms possible along the Sierra Crest and the most intense activity north of Interstate 80. By Friday a dry westerly breeze should push most of the T-storm activity to our east for the weekend, though we might still see some cumulus clouds forming over the higher elevations in the afternoon. Temperatures will be seasonal, around 80 near the Lake, and the upper 60s to close to 70 at the higher elevations. By Sunday, however, we will begin to see the leading edge of a pattern change as a trough of low pressure setting up off the coast of California starts to move inland. As that system sweeps from west to east, it will bring significantly cooler temperatures, with highs by mid-week dropping to 10 to 15 degrees below normal. Any precip with that system, however, is expected to remain to the north of the Tahoe Basin. El Nino Update Ocean water temperatures continue to warm in the eastern Pacific, and the ocean status has already shifted from La Nina to neutral, leaning toward El Nino. This trend has intensified in recent weeks. The government’s ocean watchers will be out with a new monthly report next week and we will bring the results of that update to you on July 9.