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Lake Tahoe weather: Goodbye rain, hello snow

Ryan Hoffman rhoffman@tahoedailytribune.com
A light dusting of snow coats Lake Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe in January 2017.
Ryan Hoffman / Tahoe Daily Tribune

Snow that moved into the Tahoe Basin Monday will likely stick around through most of this week, with the heaviest snowfall expected Tuesday.

In all, 2 to 5 feet of snow could fall at level and 4 to 8 feet could fall at elevations greater than 7,000 during the duration of the storm, which is set to last through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno.

Wind could lead to blowing snow and visibility problems, especially on mountain passes, with speeds ranging from 15 to 25 mph and gusts as strong as 45 mph. Snowfall is not the only thing expected to intensify Tuesday — wind gusts could get as strong as 60 mph.

This most recent winter storm comes on the heels on intense rainfall that led to flooding in the Upper Truckee River and smaller streams in and around the Tahoe Basin. The storm led to flooding in some locations and caused mudslides that restricted travel on major roadways. Area ski resorts, including Sierra-at-Tahoe at Heavenly Mountain Resort, closed Sunday and Monday due to harsh conditions and safety concerns.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District and Lake Tahoe Community College were closed Monday.

The new year has been off to a busy start. NWS reported earlier Monday that precipitation since Jan. 1 has caused Lake Tahoe to rise 1 foot, which amounts to approximately 33.6 billion gallons.


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