The cold front swept through during the early morning hours with high winds and a band of heavy snow. Wind gusts up to 161 mph were recorded by the sensor at the top of the mountain! The mountain picked up 8 inches of new snow overnight and 7 inches at the base.
Monday Lull:
We were expecting a lull in the snow Monday between the cold front early Monday and the cold low moving in Monday night. Snow showers are still firing Monday morning to the south of the Tahoe basin, and that is where most of the snow showers will likely be during the day. We will see some sun and clouds with scattered snow showers.
It will be a cold day with highs into the 30s at the base and 20s for the mountain. The winds have come down some with ridgetop gusts only to 30+ mph, but the winds are expected to increase again ahead of the main low with gusts increasing up to 50-60+ mph from the southwest.
The Main Storm:
The cold low off the coast still looks impressive this morning. It will pull in moisture as it moves into CA and the air associated with it is cold. That will bring high snow ratios where the snow will pile up faster than with a warmer system. The snow showers are expected to increase again Tuesday evening and heavy snow moves in overnight into Tuesday.
The snow showers are expected to continue Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and then wane through the day, and clear out by Wednesday night. No changes to the forecast for storm totals. We are only 12 hours into this 60-hour storm system as of Monday morning. We are still expecting an additional 1-2 ft. at the base and 2-3+ ft. on the mountain through Wednesday.
It will be cold through Wednesday with highs in the 20s. Winds will still be gusty for Tuesday with ridgetop gusts up to 50-60+ mph at times. Then lighter winds are expected for Wednesday.
Thursday – Friday:
Mostly sunny but cold for both days. Highs into the 30s with lighter winds expected.
Long-Range:
The latest trends continue to show a drier pattern continuing next weekend through the week of the 14th. Any storms trying to come under the ridge in the north Pacific into the West Coast should weaken and fall apart. We’ll continue to watch the long-range for signs of a return to a more active pattern and the next snowstorm.
BA
