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Lake Tahoe weather: Storm winds down after dumping 2 feet of snow in 24 hours

Snow totals over 24 hours at Heavenly Mountain totaled 2 feet Wednesday.
Courtesy Elizabeth Rauch / Heavenly Mountain

The Tahoe Basin is on the tail end of a winter storm that dumped 2 feet of snow at some South Shore ski resorts Tuesday.

A winter storm warning will remain in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday. Additional snow accumulation could be as high as 3 inches in some parts of the basin. An avalanche warning was in place until 7 a.m. Wednesday.

“Bands of snow will gradually diminish by late morning,” according to the National Weather Service in Reno. “Snow may rapidly vary in intensity over short distances.”

In South Lake Tahoe, scattered snow showers are expected largely before 11 a.m. There is a 40 percent chance of precipitation with a total daytime accumulation of less than ½ an inch.

After days of rain and a rain-snow mix at lake level, snow levels fell and brought steady accumulation at lake level Tuesday. NWS Reno reported snowfall totals of 10.4 inches.

In the mountains, snow totals in some places totaled 2 feet. The 24-hour snow total at Sierra-at-Tahoe was 18 inches just after 6 a.m. The ski resort recorded 5 feet of snow over the course of seven days. Just before 7 a.m., Heavenly Mountain Resort reported 2 feet of snow in 24 hours. Heavenly’s seven-day total was 84 inches.

The snow early this week caused travel issues across the region, including on Mount Rose Highway, which connects Reno to Lake Tahoe. An avalanche sent a 20-foot wall of snow cascading down onto the highway about 9:15 p.m. Monday.

Snow also closed California Route 89 near Emerald Bay. The road remained closed Wednesday morning and chain controls were in effect on many highways, including U.S. 50 from 3 miles east of Kyburz to Meyers.

Visit the California Department of Transportation website and Nevada Department of Transportation website for road conditions.


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