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Winter 2005-2006 review for South Lake Tahoe

Simon Smith

There has been much discussion around town lately regarding the unseasonably cold temperatures and the recent snowfall.

March 2006 was rather cold and wet with a total of 5.33 inches of precipitation but an impressive 75 inches of snowfall. As of April 1, South Lake Tahoe has received 33.68 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow) for the water year beginning October 1, 2005, with 155 inches of snowfall for the same period.

Precipitation is currently at 132 percent of normal for this time of year. Normal precipitation is 25.44 inches through April. Snowfall has not been abundant so far this winter below 8,000 feet until recently.



This March, the origin of the winter storms has been predominantly Siberia rather than the Tropical Pacific that produced the wet December and early January storms. These systems then move across the Bering Sea, and finally into the Gulf of Alaska, bringing lots of cold air and moisture to produce all of the light, fluffy snow.

This March is similar to March 1967, which was the snowiest March on record in Tahoe City, when 131 inches of snow fell and the snow depth reached a remarkable 85 inches or approximately 7 feet on March 14 that year.



Look for the unseasonably cold weather and periodic snowfalls to continue through the middle of April, and possibly into May but not likely.

There will be a break to milder, drier weather at times, but April of 1967 also produced an abundance of cold, snowy weather to the Tahoe region of the Eastern Sierra. If the meteorological numbers and pattern hold, then expect a similar April.

As for the rest of the spring and looking ahead into the summer months, things will eventually change. The upcoming summer season looks to be warm with a good possibility of seeing an increase in the number of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms along with great sunsets. Typically, South Lake Tahoe sees about 21 days a year with thunderstorms, and I believe we will exceed that this summer.

There will likely be a few weeks at a time with dry and breezy afternoons interspersed with periods of warm or hot weather with scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms.

In summary, the 2005-2006 winter season will wind up being above average in the precipitation content with snowpack being above average above 8,000 feet and below average below 8,000 feet.

Lake Tahoe should see a significant rise during the peak runoff this spring and early summer. The official numbers for the rise and fall of the lake should come out later in the spring. Until then, Eastern Sierra and Tahoe residents should be prepared for more periods of winter-like weather.

– Simon Smith is the co-op observer for South Lake Tahoe for the National Weather Service in Reno.


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