Heavy thunderstorms likely today

FRIDAY JULY 31 5:24 AM….More thunderstorms are in the forecast for Tahoe today and Saturday, and they could extend from the typical afternoon hours into the evening. The culprit: a low pressure system parked off the Pacific Coast. Energy spinning off that low is taking a trajectory out of the southeast and over the Sierra, dragging plenty of moisture with it. That moisture is feeding into the convection that is already ongoing over the Sierra, adding to the potential for serious thunderstorms. Look for storms this afternoon over the crest with heavy rain and hail possible, then moving slowly to the north. The forecast had called for the storms to taper off over the weekend but it now looks as if Saturday will be similar to today. As long as that low pressure sits where it is today, the flow will continue.

Forecast Highs

Tahoe City
Today 81
Saturday 81
Sunday 81

7000 feet
Today 72
Saturday 72
Sunday 70

Tough fire season forecast

The US Forest Service is forecasting a severe wildfire season for the remainder of 2009 because of the ongoing drought and lightning-prone weather.

Key points in the forecast:

–Severe or extremely dry conditions are now found in almost all of central California and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, much of western Oregon and Washington, and parts of coastal and central North Carolina, central Florida and northern Wisconsin.
–Extreme drought conditions exist north of Los Angeles; in all three directions from San Francisco; in pockets of southwest, west central and northwestern Oregon; and western Washington including the Olympic Peninsula.
–Much of the Midwest is far wetter than usual, along with the Northeast and parts of northern Minnesota and North Dakota.
–Very large amounts of fire are projected for northern California and small parts of southwest Oregon; coastal areas north of Los Angeles; large portions of the Sierra Nevada in California; and a huge area of northwestern Texas and eastern New Mexico.
–Significant amounts of fire that are considered “above normal” are predicted for most of Texas and the Southwest; many parts of Oregon and eastern Washington; and northern Montana.
–Drought doesn’t always mean fire. In the Pacific Northwest, some of the very driest areas, such as the northwestern corner of Oregon and most of western Washington, are not projected to have unusually high levels of fire.
–Almost no areas east of Texas and the Rocky Mountains are expected to have higher-than-normal amounts of fire, except for some small pockets in central Florida, northern Georgia and northwestern Nebraska.
–A total of 3.66 million acres of the U.S. is expected to burn.

See a report on the forecast here from the Reno Gazette Journal.

Ride of the week: Mt. Rose summit

Mt. Rose Summit

At just under 9,000 feet, Mt. Rose summit is probably the highest point in the Tahoe region you can reach on a road bike, and you can climb to the top from either Tahoe or Reno, or both. If you really like to climb, start in Incline Village, go up and over the summit and descend to Reno, then turn around and climb back up the other way. This is for advanced riders only, or intermediates who want a serious challenge. If you want to see the pros do it, there is a time trial on the Reno side of this climb on the morning of Aug. 9.

The start: Begin either at the Intersection of Highways 28 and 431 (also called 27) in Incline Village or at the Galena Market 19990 Thomas Creek Road, in Reno. From the Tahoe side the climb is about 8.5 miles, 1500 feet of elevation gain. Watch out for the false summit about 1.5 miles from the top. From the Reno side it is tougher: 14 miles, 3700 feet of elevation gain. Bring a couple of water bottles, but there are stores on each end to replenish, and you will probably need to do so.

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