There will probably be no new snow during the holiday weekend at Lake Tahoe ski resorts. But expect some very nice weather.
Dry conditions and above average temperatures are forecasted through the Martin Luther King holiday weekend for skiing and snowboarding as high pressure builds into northeast California and western Nevada.
The three Vail Resorts in Lake Tahoe – Northstar California, Heavenly Mountain, Kirkwood Mountain – have all benefitted from sporadic storms earlier this week. Kirkwood is reporting 21 inches, Northstar got 15 inches and Heavenly 12, all over an eight-day period.
Kirkwood has an abundance of terrain, the most in the Lake Tahoe region with 12 lifts accessing 75 trails. Heavenly is operating 20 lifts that reach 42 trails, while Northstar has 13 lifts and 42 available trails.
“We are looking forward to a great weekend of skiing and riding here at Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar,” said Vail spokesperson Kevin Cooper. “This weekend is going to be fantastic – sunshine, fresh snow, clear roads and perfect temps.”
According to “Snow Forecaster” Bryan Allegretto, Lake Tahoe will experience sunny skies and high temperatures into the 40s on the upper mountains and 50s near lake level.
Sierra-at-Tahoe has 14-50 inches of snow and had six lifts and 16 trails available Friday.
Squaw Valley has lots of available terrain, operating 21 lifts with access to 42 trails. Its other half, Alpine Meadows, had nine lifts and 32 trails available Friday.
Mt. Rose in Nevada has received as much snow as any Lake Tahoe resort with current totals of 17 to 43 inches. Mt. Rose has every lift (7) open with the exception of the Chuter, an advanced area that many adventurous skiers and snowboarders love.
The closest resort to Sacramento – Sugar Bowl – can expect some nice crowds this weekend. It has six lifts open and will offer top-to-bottom skiing and riding.
Snow arrives next week: Allegretto is predicting a pattern change toward wetter and eventually cold weather. The first storm may move into Lake Tahoe by Tuesday. Light precipitation should take place Tuesday with snow levels above 8,000 feet, resulting in perhaps a couple inches of snow.
A stronger storm should hit the Tahoe region by Thursday and continue into Friday. Snow levels may start around 7,000 feet and eventually dip below lake level. Allegretto says Lake Tahoe could see “several inches of snow up to a foot-plus on the mountains by Friday.”
And there could be more snow next weekend. Allegretto predicts a series of storms could move in next Sunday (Jan. 21) and continue into the week.
