Blizzard — Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

2018-03-01 to 2018-03-02 · Greater Lake Tahoe Area, California

Event narrative

Interstate 80 closed from Colfax, CA, to the Nevada State line due to high winds, heavy snowfall, and whiteout conditions. The closure of Interstate 80 lasted from the early afternoon of 1 March through the late morning of 2 March. Chain and snow tires were required on several roads around the Greater Lake Tahoe Area. A snowboarder became lost during the blizzard conditions the night of the 1st and was found deceased near Squaw Valley Ski Resort 2 March at 1017PST. The cause of death from several reports is undetermined. Wind gusts during peak blizzard conditions ranged from 47 to 63 mph in the Greater Lake Tahoe area below 8,000 feet MSL, with the highest wind gust of 146 mph reported at 1 March 2134PST from a mesonet atop the summit of Squaw Valley.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper level low over the northeast Pacific on February 28th moved southeast, reaching southern Oregon/northern California on the 1st of March. This system brought high winds and snowfall to the Sierra Nevada and western Nevada through the 3rd. Several school and business closures occurred due to the heavy snowfall.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 747099. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.