Heavy Snow — Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

2026-01-03 to 2026-01-05 · Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

Event narrative

The Central Sierra Snow Lab measured 40.4 inches of snowfall and CO-OP observer at Tahoe City measured 11.5 inches of snow. This was from the 3rd to the 5th. In addition,

Northstar Ski Base reported 29 inches, Palisades Tahoe Ski Base reported 17 inches, and CoCoRaHs station CA-NV-51 Truckee 1.6 N reported 18.3 inches. These were storm totals for the event from the 3rd to 5th.

Wider weather episode

A strong winter storm impacted the region from the 3rd to the 5th of January. This produced between 1 to 2 feet of snow in the Tahoe Basin with 2 to 4 feet for the higher elevations. This system also produced winds upwards of 90 mph on the ridges, with gusts commonly upwards of 55 mph elsewhere.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1308564. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.