I drove here, Tahoe, on mon. PM in a downpour. Since getting here wave after wave of torrential rain and temperature never below 40. Yesterday I drove to Kirkwood hoping that altitude would turn it to snow. No such luck. It was still rain at Carson pass at 8600 feet. By then I realized that it had gone from ridiculous to sublime and skiing was not in the cards. Nevertheless I continued to Kirkwood for a look see. I stopped briefly in the lodge to see only exhausted drenched ski patrollers who had spent hours wading through hip deep rain soaked snow throwing bombs to bring down avalanches. No lifts were running of course. I would have had lunch and a beer, but began to think about the hubcap deep puddles I'd driven through and how hard it was raining. The only escape would be back over the road through Carson pass; the west side of hwy 88, going back to SF was already closed by avalanche. Carson pass has a couple miles of avalanche exposure with dire warning signs, no stop, no park, no pedestrians. I was grateful to get back to S. Lake Tahoe safely.
Today I took my car to Carson city Subaru for maintenance, much cheaper than in the big city and you can always get a same day or next day appointment. Rain not so bad in the morning. By 3 when I got the car back torrential again and US50, my route home was closed indefinitely by a rock slide. A 45 min drive turned into 2+ hours over another much steeper hairier mountain road. Tomorrow it is supposed to cool, and turn to snow. Tomorrow night 15 degrees and 18-24" of new snow. So I plan to stay through Friday and see if I can get some skiing in. It has rained 12" in the past 4 days.
About 20years ago this same scenario played out and there was disastrous flooding in Truckee particularly. So we really need that hard freeze.
Well, that sure sounded uniquely ugly. Hope you get the snow and some skiing though.
I always enjoy the drive on 88 from/to the Bay area. I've never seen a "turnier" road
From drought to flood!?!
I have a special memory of driving in a rental SUV from Sacramento airport to Kirkwood late at night in March 2005. I had two of my daughters with me. By the time we drove the last 40 miles on Hwy 88 from Pioneer to Kirkwood it was after midnight. This was between 3 to 4 AM to my body since I was coming from VA. My daughters fell asleep during the drive and I had a hard time staying alert through all the switchbacks. I stopped on the side of the road once to get out for some fresh air and wake myself up. The stars were out like a million diamonds in the sky. Kirkwood has a pretty remote feel and the development there is nothing like all the buildings and lights and stuff in South Lake Tahoe. When we finally arrived at our condo at Kirkwood it was pitch-dark and I couldn’t see anything except the lights of a grooming machine way up on the mountain. It was like a UFO hovering above us. The next day I saw the by-product including several long groomed, impressive black diamond runs off the Wagonwheel and Cornice chairs.
Looks like today will not be a ski day either. From today's Sierra avalanche center report,
"Another storm has arrived over the region with hurricane force southwest winds along the Sierra Crest. The winds will become stronger and more widespread today as this storm builds. Even winds at lower elevations could reach into the 40 to 60 mph range with gusts to 100 mph. At the upper elevations expect to see sustained wind speeds in the 60 to 80 mph range with gusts to145 mph. Winds should start to decrease some after midnight and into tomorrow. Rain and snow will increase over the region today with periods of heavy precipitation from midday onward. Most of today's precipitation should fall as 1 to 2 inches of rain below 8000 ft. due to snow levels that remain between 8000 and 8500 ft. for much of the day. Temperatures should start to cool this afternoon and evening and the forecast calls for snow levels to drop to around 7000 ft. tonight allowing for 6 to 12 inches of snow to accumulate. By tomorrow this storm should start to wind down and colder air should push into the region. Expect another 3 to 6 inches of snow tomorrow with snow levels at or below Lake Level."
