weather service

Even though snowfall in South Lake Tahoe was minimal during the most recent storm which is heading out of the region Monday evening, local ski resorts are reporting decent numbers.

It is still snowing at some resorts, but currently Sierra at Tahoe is reporting 20" of snow out of the storm, 16" reported at Heavenly Mountain Resort and Kirkwood is listing 18" of fresh powder.

The month ended with a sun-drenched bang Saturday, an apropos ending for what was the driest January on record in San Francisco.

Not one drop of measurable rain fell on city streets in January, the first time that’s happened in recorded weather history, which dates back to the Gold Rush.

Other Bay Area cities, including San Jose, saw at most two one-hundredths of an inch during the same time, which was probably just real heavy fog with a drizzle rather than real rain, said Jan Null, former lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service and a meteorology consultant.

The word of the day: Pogonip.

That is what gave the top of South Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Mountain Resort the look of winter and fresh snow on Saturday morning.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, a cloud deck around 8,000-9,000 feet was in place most of the night and the supercooled liquid droplets froze on the branches becoming a thick coating of frost.

Here is the definition of "pogonip" from Wikipedia:

While it won't be called the storm of the century, a wet and cold system is moving through Northern California and Northern Nevada this week, bringing with it snow and rain.

Here is the forecast from the National Weather Service:

Monday: 60% chance of snow during the day, 70% at night, with lake level accumulations of 2" to 6" expected. A high of 39 and a low of 29. Winds at 5 mph.

Tuesday: 50% chance of snow during the day, 80% at night, with lake level accumulations of 2" to 4" expected. A high of 40 and a low of 26. Winds at 5 mph.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District has announced they are calling a snow day for all schools in South Lake Tahoe on Friday, December 12, 2014. Due to the anticipated serious winter weather conditions as forecast by the National Weather Service, they wanted to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard and high wind warning along with flood watch starting at 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.

"Significant snowfall" is expected to impact the Sierra with one to three feet of snow possible above 7,000 feet with up to 12 inches down to 6,000 feet. The storm is expected to have snow levels dropping to 5,000 feet Thursday night. The Weather Service says heavier precipitation bands may locally lower snow levels to lake level during the day on Thursday.

Snow is forecast to continue through Friday afternoon.

So far this holiday weekend, rain and snow totals have been less than expected, but in a drought anything is appreciated.

There will be some overnight snow Saturday night according to the National Weather Service in Reno. It will last until about 7 a.m. Sunday, just in time for the visitors in town for Thanksgiving begin to head home. There will be some periods of rain during the day, with some snow flurries expected around 8 p.m. Snow accumulations of 1" to 2" for the day are forecast.

Monday will be cloudy with a high of 49 and low of 28 with a sight chance of showers.

The U.S. Weather Service in Reno reports that gusty winds, a chance of rain and lower temperatures are in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The high for Monday, Columbus Day, will be 73 degrees and the low 41. Breezy conditions move in on Tuesday with a high of 65, a low of 41 and winds up to 25 mph. That evening, a 40% chance of rain moves into the Sierra. Wednesday's forecast is breezy with a 70% chance of showers, a high of 56, a low of 28 and winds up to 17 mph.

Thursday through Monday will have highs in the 60s, lows in the 30s with no precipitation in the forecast.

9/8/14 6:45 p.m. update: The Meadow Fire in Yosemite grew considerably overnight and has burned about 2,582 acres so far. What started as a small fire after lightning on August 16 got out of control on Sunday.

According to Yosemite's website, it is burning within the Little Yosemite Valley on both sides of the Merced River. All trails in the area are closed. Earlier Monday, approximately 100 hikers and backpackers were evacuated from the fire area in LYV. The fire is burning in Yosemite Wilderness.

Flood recovery measures are being taken in the Fish Springs area of Douglas County after Wednesday night's flash flood closed several roads and damaged homes.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff's office, this incident produced hazardous conditions due to the amount of water and dark evening hours which created safety concerns and inhibited immediate damage assessment.

The Reverse 911 was down in Douglas County so emergency messages had to be relayed through the National Weather Service, which is the backup system. Reverse 911 should be back up and working by August 15.

The U.S. National Weather Service in Reno is reporting that areas in Western Nevada and Lake Tahoe will reach record high temperatures this week.

Areas in western Nevada will reach triple digits with many areas in the Sierra reaching the upper 80's to low 90's.

The red line in the graphs indicate the current forecast high temperature and the black line indicates the record high temperatures. Records for Reno go back to 1888 and records for South Lake Tahoe go back to 1968.

In typical Lake Tahoe fashion, the ski resorts are closing and a spring storm storm comes into the basin.

A couple of inches of snow is expected at lake level before the storm heads out early Saturday morning.

Thursday night: Rain, mainly after 1am. Low around 34. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday: Snow. High near 40. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

The scheduled renovations at the South Lake Tahoe office of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) have been postponed until a future date. They are alerting local customers that the work will not go on March 26 - April 1 as planned because of weather conditions.

Almost a foot of snow is being welcomed into the Lake Tahoe basin today. Snow started falling in the early hours of Thursday morning and will continue into Friday.

According to the National Weather Service, and additional 4 to 8 inches is expected at lake level during the day Thursday, with 1 to 3 inches Thursday night. A winter storm warning is in effect until 4 am on Friday morning.

Snow has blanketed the west with several inches of snow at the lower elevations at Placerville and Auburn up to over a foot in the Sierra Nevada. South Lake Tahoe reports this morning are coming in at 12" to 15" near lake level and the snow is still coming down.

Keep the cold weather clothes out as winter makes it's presence known. There is an expected low of -7 degrees tonight in South Lake Tahoe and a week of below freezing daytime highs before another system comes through on Friday night.

Snow levels will remain at the Nevada Valley floors on Friday and Saturday. A foot of snow is possible above 7,000 feet with several inches at lake level. The snow is expected by early evening on Friday and continuing into Saturday morning.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in the Sierra, Northern California and Nevada. This report is for the week of Aug. 28 through Labor Day. Don't forget, California's second free day of fishing without a license will be Saturday, Sept. 7.

A storm passed through South Lake Tahoe early Tuesday evening bringing gusty winds, rain and dropping penny-size hail. Many streets through the town were flooded, including a large section of Highway 50.

The National Weather Service in Reno said the storm brought torrential rain and wind gusts of 45 mph.

UPDATE 8:02PM: State Route 207 Kingsbury Grade is now open to motorists with controls. Please use caution around firefighters and equipment that remain working the fire.

Fire personnel will remain on scene to gain further containment of this fire. The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

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UPDATE: 7:17PM: Around 200 firefighters remain on scene tonight on the Kings fire on the Carson Valley side of Kingsbury Grade near Lake Tahoe. The fire is approximately 4 to 5 acres in size, Douglas County authorities report. Containment is estimated by 8 p.m.

Here is the Memorial Day weekend fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of May 22-28. Pack plenty of sunscreen, fill your cooler full of cold beverages and enjoy the long holiday weekend.

If weather conditions hold, about 10 acres will be burned in a prescribed fire today near Mewuk Drive in the South Lake Tahoe area, the U.S. Forest Service reports. Five acres are up for burning across the South Shore near Tahoe City.

Rain and high elevation snow are expected today along with breezy conditions. A Lake Wind Advisory is in effect through 11 p.m. Thursday. Winds will be out of the southwest, 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph this morning and then increasing this afternoon with gusts to 40 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

UPDATED: A storm system will move over the Sierra and Lake Tahoe Tuesday night and Wednesday bringing light to moderate rain and snow to the Sierra, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Gusty winds will arrive ahead of the storm Tuesday into Tuesday night and Wednesday, bringing light to moderate rain and snow to the Sierra, mainly near the crest, along with stronger ridge top winds.

A weak weather system will move into the Sierra beginning Sunday with a wetter system expected to bring some much-needed snow accumulation for the Lake Tahoe region from Tuesday through Thursday, the National Weather Service reports.

For the remainder of the weekend, expect rain and high elevation snow across the Sierra and Western Nevada, with snow accumulations up to a few inches possible for the higher terrain above Lake Tahoe.

A high pressure ridge off the coast of California has turned off the tap that provided above average moisture to the Sierra Nevada during December.A graph issued by the National Weather Service ...