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Avalanche in Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California
Avalanche January 5, 2026 · Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California
What the National Weather Service wrote
A group of snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Johnson Peak and Castle Peak north of Truckee. One snowmobiler was fully buried and killed.
The wider storm
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 1308567. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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