High Wind — Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

2014-12-11 · Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

Event narrative

Winds gusted to 60 and 70 mph at the Truckee and South Lake Tahoe airports, respectively, on the morning of the 11th. Over the Sierra ridges, winds gusted as high as 135 mph. Numerous trees and power lines were downed, along with damage to several homes and vehicles due to fallen trees. The power outages, some lasting up to 2 days, caused South Lake Tahoe schools to be closed through the 12th. Finally, winds downed a tree which caused the death of a teenager in a heavily wooded area. Damages from this event are a rough estimate.

Wider weather episode

Strong low pressure approaching the northern California coast brought widespread wind damage to the Lake Tahoe area and to parts of Mono County on the 11th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 553167. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.