There’s times yesterday where many of us were ready to call this system a bust, as the cold air really lagged behind in this system. They say that 7/11 is Slurpee Day, but for those that live around lake level, yesterday may be remembered as the king of all Slurpee days. It was beyond the capability of most snowblowers. Even the commercial snow removal companies struggled with clogged chutes. That said, mid-mountain and above, the snow continued to dump in earnest.
The power is out at Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley this morning so some of the usual resources for measuring snow aren’t online.
The remote data site is showing a 42 inch base at lodge level as of 3 am when the power went off. It’s easy to guess that is closer to 4 feet by now. Reports from the upper mountain are that we have seen around 8 feet. There’s also been winds gusting over 120 mph at the top of Summit for much of the last 24 hours, so that snow will certainly be unevenly distributed. A week ago, the base area was bare and the coverage up top was scattered.
Officially, the PT site still says that the scheduled opening for Alpine Meadows is December 17th. That said, the pressure is on. Sugar Bowl announced yesterday that they would open Wednesday and Thursday for passholders only. That leaves Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley as the only major ski areas in Tahoe that are not open to some degree. I am certain that they are powering through to open as soon as safely possible. Stay tuned.
Update: It’s now been publicly announced thaT TLC will open tomorrow and Roundhouse Thursday if the power comes back in time. I heard this yesterday but had been sworn to secrecy. Glad I can let it go now!
It’s tough to time out how soon the next storm arrives but tomorrow afternoon looks like the current bet. Forecasters expect another 1 to 2 feet out of that one. It calms down after that into the weekend. Overall the weather pattern seems to stay stormy right up to at least the new year. The morning run of the GFS model shows over 6 feet of snow in the next 16 days. Remember, a model run is not a forecast.
The current avalanche danger is High, which is not a surprise. If you’re heading into the backcountry or side country today because resorts are closed without power, please be smart!
That’s all for now. Writing this report on an iPad with one bar of Verizon service is a challenge!
Looks like hotter wheels is opening at alpine tomorrow if the power comes back