Heavy Snow — Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

2017-01-09 to 2017-01-12 · Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

Event narrative

Snowfall totals between the 9th and 12th were quite significant. Between the 9th and 12th, 6 to 10 feet of snow fell at ski areas near the Sierra crest, with 3 to 3.5 feet in the Tahoe City and Truckee areas, and 2 to 3 feet in the South Lake Tahoe area. During the evening of the 12th, two trees fell on three cars on CA route 89 near Squaw Valley, resulting in one death. A tree fell into a home in Kings Beach on the 11th, resulting in major damage. Numerous power outages were noted.

Wider weather episode

Strong low pressure over the northeast Pacific on the 9th moved southeast slowly, reaching northern California on the 12th. This brought exceptional snowfall and a period of blizzard conditions to the Sierra with considerable impacts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 696665. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.