YOUR AD HERE »

Wind makes people spring back

Jill Darby

Spring’s arrival did not bring blooming flowers or swooning dragonflies.

Instead, fierce winds and flying debris filled the air.

Jack Frost blew such heavy gusts Denise Sloan, the Tahoe Daily Tribune’s entertainment editor, was literally blown off her feet.



“It was funny,” said Sloan, who weighs just over 100 pounds. “I was just walking across the parking lot and a gust of wind came up and picked me up like an inch off the ground and slammed me on the pavement. I wish I had a video.”

This isn’t the first time windy weather has knocked Sloan off her feet.



“It happened once before in the Harrah’s parking lot, but that was about 10 years ago,” she said. “All I can do is start laughing.”

Other folks around town were also affected by Monday’s weather.

The wind forced Heavenly Ski Resort to shut down.

“We had a really great weekend up here with the sunshine,” said Molly Cuffe, Heavenly public relations spokeswoman. “Then the winds just really picked up, but we’re looking forward to having a good day tomorrow, especially with all of the sunshine in the forecast.”

Reno Regional Forecasting Center Meteorologist Danny Mercer said winds were up to 100 mph over the ridges on Monday.

“It will be windy through this evening (Monday),” he said. “But it should let up tomorrow with 10 to 20 mph winds. It really doesn’t look too bad. The cooler air is shifting to the east and it will be warming up a little, too. It should be about 10 degrees warmer Tuesday over today.”

Both South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County parks and recreation facilities were packed with hopeful weather dodgers on Monday.

“There’s been a lot of people in the swimming pool, complaining how cold it is outside,” said Judy Crawford, SLT recreation superintendent.

As for Sloan, she’s not going to let a little blustery weather trap her inside.

“Maybe I’ll start wearing ankle weights when it’s windy, or I’ll put rocks in my pockets,” she said.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.