Lake Tahoe ski resorts kiss dismal February goodbye with blanket of new snow
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sat, 02/28/2015 - 6:57pm
A winter storm that wasn’t necessarily supposed to pack a big punch did, sort of, bringing a foot or more of much-needed snow around Lake Tahoe area ski resorts Friday and Saturday.
In what has been a dismal season where resorts have retooled the layers of snow they do have and producing as much as they can with snow making machines, the last day of February 2015 brought out droves of skiers and new hope for a so-called "Miracle March" in the Sierra, where late winter systems have historically pummeled Lake Tahoe with several feet of snow.
The last time it happened was March 2011, where up to 12 feet of snow fell in parts of the central Sierra over the 9-day period raising snow depths to near record levels in some locations.
Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows were the big receivers of the latest system, registering 17 inches since Friday, according to the resort’s website, while Diamond Peaks says it measured 16 inches. Sugar Bowl resort also reports 16 inches and Mt. Rose between 11-13 inches from the storm. Northstar received 9 inches. See video below. As far as high Sierra snow, weather spotters noted Soda Springs received two feet from the system.
Heavenly Mountain Resort received six to eight inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, including 3 inches of snow accumulation Saturday afternoon. Sierra-at-Tahoe, also on the south shore, received 7 inches of new snow and counting. Kirkwood Mountain Resort also had about 7 inches.
Go here for snow reports from weather spotters around the region reporting to the National Weather Service.
Snow showers will continue in the Sierra, Carson City and Reno areas through Sunday, according to the weather service. Some of the snow will be heavy at times locally as low pressure tracks south through California into the Sierra and Western Nevada. Travelers through the Sierra should expect icy road conditions and slow moving traffic through Sunday. Meanwhile, a weaker system is expected to bring a few more light snow showers Monday with temperatures below normal.
The storm systems appear to be short-lived, forecasters says. A few snow showers may linger into Tuesday morning, but an overall dry pattern will return to the region as the trough leaves the area. A north flow will keep temperatures cool on Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 40s for western Nevada and near 40 in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
From Wednesday into early Saturday, forecasters say the ridge will likely rebuild inland, resulting in dry conditions and a warming trend with light winds. Daytime temperatures in lower elevations are expected to rise into the lower to mid-50s, Wednesday and then jump to near 60 Thursday and a few degrees higher Friday and Saturday.
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