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Mother Nature, not content with weekend storm, dumps more snow

Jennie Tezak
Jim Grant / Tahoe Daily TribuneThe snow keeps piling up in South Lake Tahoe as another winter storm system hit the Sierra on Tuesday.
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Just when Lake Tahoe residents had weathered the weekend storms, winter returned in style.

The latest winter storm snarled traffic in the Sierra and western Nevada with gusting winds, blowing snow and icy roads, causing spinouts and fender-benders on Lake Tahoe-area roads.

Around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Hoon said South Lake Tahoe had received half its projected snowfall, calling for 6 to 10 inches below 7,000 feet and 10 to 16 inches above 7,000 feet.



“We’re seeing the area around South Lake getting about 3 to 4 inches,” Hoon said. “It’s not too impressive, but we’re seeing some good showers.”

Hoon said the north end received the worst of the storm, with the south end “being a little quieter. We’re not done yet,” Hoon added.



Hoon said temperatures this morning will be 13 degrees, with highs expected in the mid-30s. Meteorologists still are expecting a chance of snow showers with temperatures becoming colder Wednesday night with another little winter wave coming in.

A weak storm is expected tonight, with snow accumulation up to 3 inches.

Thursday looks to be clearer, with highs in the upper 30s; Friday should be partly cloudy.

“It’s looking good going into the weekend with highs still in the upper 30s and more sunshine,” Hoon said.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday should be clear and sunny with highs in the 40s, but temperatures should dip back into the teens at night.

“This is was what we were expecting – nothing big, with some fairly decent storms bringing anywhere up to a foot of snow,” Hoon said. “This is a run-of-the-mill winter storm in the Tahoe area.”

Highway 50 closed Tuesday for avalanche control between 12:30 and 2 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff Gartner.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Scott Simon said numerous spinouts and crashes were reported through the region, though no serious injuries were immediately reported.

Chains or snow tires were required on all mountain passes, including Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and Highway 50 over Echo Summit.

Last weekend, a potent series of storms dumped as much as 11 feet of snow in the mountains and 3 to 4 feet at lake level.

Simon said the hazardous conditions led to numerous accidents and vehicles off the road. To ease the danger, troopers escorted traffic across the 10-mile stretch at slow speeds.

The storm canceled the Lake Tahoe Unified School District board meeting Tuesday. South Tahoe High school basketball games also were canceled Tuesday.

Lake Tahoe Community College canceled all events and classes after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

School should be in session today, but check local snow phone lines for school closures.


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