Snow likely by Thursday
October 31, 2011 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Weather Geek
Oct. 31 2011
A major change in Tahoe’s weather is in store for later this week.
A ridge of high pressure off the Pacific Coast will drift westward, opening the door to winter storms coming down from the Gulf of Alaska.
The first one is due Thursday into Friday. Winds will begin to pick up Thursday night ahead of the storm, and temperatures will plummet. This will be a cold storm, with snow levels dropping below 5,000 feet. The orographics also look good — the angle of the storm’s approach should be excellent for snow production. So while it will not be a particularly moist system, the dynamics are favorable and we could see 12 inches or more by Friday night.
After a short break on Saturday it looks like we might get another storm on Sunday.
In the meantime, look for some brisk temperatures Tuesday as an “inside slider” storm drops down into Nevada and heads east, dragging some cold air behind it.
Stay tuned for details.
Warm weekend, then chilly next week
October 21, 2011 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Weather Geek
Oct. 21 2011
Tahoe’s weather will be mild this weekend, with temperatures near normal, or even a little above normal, for this time of year.
The region is under the influence of a ridge of high pressure over the western United States, keeping skies mostly clear and temperatures on the warm side.
A low pressure system moving from the Gulf of Alaska into the Rockies early next week could bring some high clouds to Tahoe Monday and Tuesday. The system is also likely to pull a train of cold arctic air behind it as it moves east, dropping temperatures several degrees in the Tahoe Basin early next week.
Look for lows in the 20s in the mountain valleys, including Truckee, by the middle of next week, and temperatures could dip into the teens in some areas. Afternoon highs will probably be in the 50s.
But there’s no precipitation — rain or snow — in the forecast for the next week as of now.
High temperature forecasts:
Lake Level:
Friday 61
Saturday 63
Sunday 67
Monday 61
7000 feet
Friday 58
Saturday 59
Sunday 59
Monday 54
La Nina building this fall
October 20, 2011 by Tahoe Loco
Filed under Daily news
LA NINA UPDATE Oct 2011
A weak La Nina condition remains in place across the Central Pacific in early Fall, with sea surface temperatures in the region at least .5 degrees below normal. The condition is expected to strengthen a bit as we head from fall into winter, but remain weaker than last season’s La Nina. A La Nina condition, even a weak one, is expected to mean a colder and wetter winter in the Pacific Northwest and a drier season in the Southwest. Sitting between these two, Tahoe is dependent on the whims of each storm and how far the jet stream dips south. Last season, of course, we got nearly every storm that came off the Pacific. One thing that should be true is that we are less likely to see the kind of big, warm, wet storm that comes off the Southern Pacific. The storms we do get will tend to be smaller, and colder, but they can add up, and they can bump up against each other to produce plenty of powder.