Lake Tahoe Area Braces For Possible 'Record' Precipitation

Residents in the Lake Tahoe area prepared for possibly historical levels of precipitation beginning on October 23, when a powerful “atmospheric river” is forecast to begin unleashing significant moisture drawn from the Pacific.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued flash flood warnings on Saturday, October 23, for much of northern California ahead of the weather event. In Tahoe City, temperatures are expected to stay just above freezing, with five inches of precipitation expected to fall, according to the NWS. Snow is forecast to fall at higher elevations.

“The main event is still on track late Saturday night through Monday and the current forecast continues to look like we could see the potential for a record or near-record precipitation for 2-day totals in the month of October,” the NWS said.

The Pacific Northwest and parts of California were hit with a weaker atmospheric river late this week that brought several inches of rain to some places, including parts of the Bay Area. This footage, taken on Friday by the California Highway Patrol, shows snow falling at Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe. Credit: California Highway Patrol via Storyful