echo summit

A quick moving storm is leaving behind a few inches of snow around South Lake Tahoe, but not enough to cancel school around the lake. The Winter Weather Advisory is ending at 8:00 a.m. Monday with another 1-3" of snow possible during the day and overnight.

US 50 over Echo Summit - Cedar Grove to Meyers - Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel/ all wheel drive vehicles with snow-tread tires on all four wheels. (Four wheel/all wheel drive vehicles must carry traction devices in chain control areas).

The following was sent to the South Lake Tahoe City Council and was shared with South Tahoe Now:

Just after reopening, a snowslide and incoming storm have prompted Caltrans to close State Highway 89 around Emerald Bay until the weather clears.

Today’s slide dumped snow as high as 15 feet deep and about 160 feet long. Rain in the Lake Tahoe area is expected to turn to snow on Thursday. Only light snow is expected at pass levels through Thursday morning, with heavy snow possible beginning Thursday afternoon.

Both lanes of Highway 50 over Echo Summit were closed at times Thursday afternoon after a westbound big rig truck jackknifed near the Sierra at Tahoe turnoff.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the truck slide on the highway at 2:14 p.m., prior to chain controls going up. It jackknifed and ended up in a ditch. A person driving a Toyota 4-runner, also westbound, was slowing to avoid the truck and was rear-ended by a Hyundai that could not be stopped in time.

If you don't need to go out on the roads around Lake Tahoe today you may want to consider staying home and keeping dry.

With over a foot of new snow Friday morning, crews are working to clear the roadways and area highways have been closed a few times due to collisions, heavy snow and avalanche controls.

A look at roads in the Sierra as of 10:30 a.m.:

4:00 p.m. UPDATE: Interstate 80 has reopened at this time, but tractor-semitrailer combinations are not allowed due to traction concerns. SR88 is closed at the Carson Spur with no time estimated of reopening.Hwy 50 over Echo Summit is reopened after a collision was cleared. Most roads in the Sierra are requiring chains or 4WD with snow tires.

First, a confession of weirdness. I love being a part of groups. I like the synergy of groups, how they work collaboratively, how the room sounds… some listening, others talking.

I like the process of group decision-making, the back and forth, the quiet and noisy, the 'aha' moments of clarity, that groups have goals and purpose. It may be quirky, but instead of being drained from being with and working in a group, I find it energizing.

With the Sierra snowpack at three percent of normal at Echo Summit, and 84 percent of normal at top of Mt. Rose, snow is needed not only on the slopes, but at upper elevations to keep reservoirs full of water for summer.

The weather pattern remains unsettled into the weekend in Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe. A warm and relatively weak system Friday evening into Saturday will bring
additional rain and high elevation snow to the region. A brief break is expected Sunday before a stronger and wetter system is forecast to impact the region Monday and Tuesday.

Hundreds of vehicles disobey parking rules along Echo Summit and Highway 50 each winter as they try to find a place to park so people can stop and play in the snow. Their parking on a highway is dangerous, and the California Highway Patrol is trying deter parking to encourage them to park where legal.

The rerouting of a 1.3 mile section of the joint Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail near Echo Summit has been proposed in order to move hikers away from the noisy highway and instead traverse the far side of a ridge that offers more pristine views and less traffic noise.

This will be a partnership between the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA), the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA), the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Eldorado National Forest.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is testing their avalanche control above Highway 50 and Echo Summit on Tuesday, November 14. Some cannons were tested during the morning and another set will be tested in early afternoon.

Some loud booms will be heard around the South Shore during testing.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

10/25

The Michael “Mikey” Hallenbeck Memorial Highway was dedicated Saturday during a ceremony on Echo Summit near South Lake Tahoe.

Hallenbeck was a 21-year-old firefighter when he died on August 8, 2015 after a tree fell on him as he was fighting the Sierra Fire.

The stretch of Highway 50 from Mt. Ralston Road to Echo Summit now has signage at each end commemorating the fallen fire fighter who worked winters at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The following is the roadwork schedule from Caltrans on Lake Tahoe area roads.

SPECIAL EVENT
State Routes 28 and 267 (Placer County): Motorists should be alert for increased road cyclists on sections of State Routes 28 and 267 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday during the “Stetina’s Sierra Prospect” cycling event. Remember to share the road and allow at least three feet of space. For race information, visit:https://www.sierraprospect.com/

EMERGENCY PROJECTS

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

8/6

12:09 a.m. - Vacation Rental Complaint - Plumas Cir - NOISE COMPLAINT

2:23 a.m. - Vacation Rental Complaint - Elks Club Dr - NOISE COMPLAINT

2:56 a.m. - Vacation Rental Complaint - Tionontati St - NOISE COMPLAINT

3:20 a.m. - Vacation Rental Complaint - Bonanza Tr - NOISE COMPLAINT

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The following are incidents the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue department responded to 235 calls from May 26 - June 19, 2017.

05/26
10:46 - 1000 block of Al Tahoe Blvd - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
13:44 - 3700 block of Montreal Rd - Medical assist, assist EMS crew
14:24 - 700 block of Eloise Ave - Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other
15:02 - 2100 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury
20:48 - 3300 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd - Vehicle accident with injuries

Caltrans has reopened Highway 50 between Meyers and Placerville with one-way controlled traffic at Alder Creek where a mudslide closed it last night. They originally said all traffic would be rerouted to other highways through Friday evening but crews were able to get it open.

The slope is still not stable and they are working on getting the mud flow stopped.

For up to the minute reports, visit Caltrans twitte at @CaltransDist3 or on their app/website - http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

A long-time local tired of graffiti problem on the the old and abandoned Tveten property at the bottom of Echo Summit today grabbed a paintbrush and painted over the graffiti.

The volunteer, who wishes to remain anonymous, went to Meek's in Meyers for the needed supplies. The lumber store gave one gallon of paint for free and gave the rest of the supplies at cost.

"I was sick and tired of looking at it every day," said the volunteer.

The property is currently owned by Sarbjit Singh Kang and one of his business names, Tahoe 3208 Highway 50 Corp.

Lake Tahoe is seeing the winter that keeps on giving into spring. It has been snowing in South Lake Tahoe since about 3:00 p.m. and conditions on area roads are not good for travelers over the Sierra.

A snow slide about 4-5 feet deep and over 30 feet wide went over Highway 50 at Echo Summit, closing the road for over an hour as crews cleaned it up.

At 10:15 a.m. this morning, the slide was reported, at at noon the road at the summit has reopened. Several cars had to be turned around so they could return to Meyers as crews made their way to clear the snow.

Representatives from several agencies met with the public Thursday night at El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel's second community meeting to discuss traffic issues and the "invasion of neighborhoods" by non-local drivers.

More signs that California is rebounding after five years of drought were evident on Echo Summit Thursday morning as the snowpack measured at 183 percent of average. This snow water equivalent (SWE) reading by the team from the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program was 46.1 inches.

The readings represent 183 percent of the long-term average at the Phillips measuring station near Sierra-at-Tahoe. Statewide, the electronic readings from 95 sites in the Sierra showed the snowpack at 164 percent of average, or 45.8 inches. Average for all of the Sierra Nevada is 27.9 inches

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

3/19
2:26 p.m. - Death Investigation - South Lake Tahoe - 63-YEAR-OLD FEMALE DECEASED.

3/20
1:20 p.m. - Theft - Johnson Pass Road - UNKNOWN SUSPECT(S) CARRIED AWAY VICTIM'S PERSONAL PROPERTY AFTER VICTIM UNKNOWINGLY LEFT IT OUTSIDE ON A DRIVEWAY.

Lake Tahoe must improve its internal transportation systems before they can expect visitors to the region to get out of their cars and use different, and better, ways of getting around. That was the message during last week's Tahoe Talks presentation by Lake Tahoe transportation partners, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) and El Dorado County.