A major winter storm has the Greater Lake Tahoe Area under a Winter Storm Warning through 10pm PST on Wednesday, with 1-3 feet of additional snow accumulation expected in the Tahoe Basin. The highest peaks could pick up locally up to 4 feet, with the snow totals set to be the highest on the west shore and much of Alpine County. Resort towns like Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, and Incline Village are all in the bullseye.
The wind situation should be noted as well. Gusts are forecast up to 50mph in the Valley, while gusts could reach up to 100mph on the Sierra ridge. Periods of whiteout conditions should be expected throughout the region, making travel difficult to impossible and potentially damaging trees and power lines.
When you start looking at direct resort forecasts, the storm’s mind-boggling size really starts to set in. At Palisades Tahoe, weather forecaster Bryan Allegretto is looking at 5-7 feet of new snow at the resort by Friday. Totals could reach 4-5 feet at the base, 5-6 feet near mid-mountain, and 6-7 feet up top. Most of that snow will come by Wednesday morning, though a final 6-18 inches is expected in the Wednesday – Thursday system.
The area’s Epic resorts are looking equally as good, if not better, with some serious totals expected over the next 10 days. Heavenly Ski Resort could see up to 5 feet, Northstar California Resort up to 7 feet, and Kirkwood Ski Resort up to 10 feet. In fact, Kirkwood has already seen 21 inches of new snow in 24 hours as of Tuesday morning, serving as just a preview of the weather to come.
With the heavy snowfall, travel is likely to be extremely difficult and dangerous, especially in areas like Donner Pass. Travel throughout these storm should only be done if necessary. If necessary, carry an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
Avalanche danger is high across the region as well, with the Sierra Avalanche Center warning that travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain is not recommended today. Make sure you check the forecast before heading anywhere in the backcountry.
