How much snow and rain has fallen in Tahoe? Here’s a look at totals before the weekend

A wet and windy storm is making its way through Northern California into the Sierra Nevada.

Meteorologist Dakari Anderson with the National Weather Service said roughly 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain fell across the Sierra Nevada, between 9 a.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Thursday. He said the water is a mixture of both rainwater and melted snow.

Lesser amounts were recorded closer toward the Sacramento Valley, the weather service said.

Areas west of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, between Interstate 80 and Highway 50 — such as Danville, Georgetown and Grass Valley — all received around 0.5 to 0.75 inches of rain, the agency said.

How much snow fell in the Sierra Nevada?

Snow totals were even larger.

Anderson said roughly 6 to 15 inches of snow fell across the Sierra in the past 24 hours, with the most snow at Palisades Tahoe ski resort situated northwest of South Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts including Sugar Bowl, Sierra at Tahoe, Donner Peak and Bear Valley all received 12 to 14 inches of snow.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab recorded 11 inches of snowfall in the past 24 hours, nearly doubling its seasonal snowfall to a total of 25 inches.

That’s more than 2 feet of fresh snow.

We nearly doubled our seasonal snowfall by receiving 11" (28 cm) of #snow over the last 24 hours. It was 14" (35.5 cm) prior to yesterday's storm and our seasonal total is now 25" (63.5 cm).

We're expecting another 2-4" (5-10 cm) of snow this afternoon.#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/k2KMWCvjnN

— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 7, 2023

When will the rain and snow stop in Lake Tahoe area?

If you plan to travel into the Sierra Nevada, prepare for icy conditions and fallen branches from high winds.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday for the greater Lake Tahoe area including Tahoe City, Markleeville, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.

The weather service forecast said that 3 to 6 inches of snow will fall, with 10 inches above 8,000 feet.

Anderson said the storm should dissipate throughout the day Thursday and completely stop between 8 and 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Partly sunny skies are forecast for Friday with a high near 33 degrees and a low of 19 degrees.

Preliminary snow reports are in! Several sites exceeded a foot of snow over the last 24 hours with more snow in store for today. Please remain cautious if you are traveling to the mountain today as winter conditions continue. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/REZ2PIGTKz

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) December 7, 2023

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