South Lake Tahoe is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Average annual snowfall is 360 inches with the snowiest months being December and January. Temperatures averages are (high/low): Nov 52/23, Dec 45/18, Jan 43/16, Feb 46/20, Mar 51/24 and Apr 58/28. Lake spring into early fall are the warmest months with average temperatures: May 67/34, Jun 76/40, Jul 85/45, Aug 83/43, Sep 77/36 and Oct 66/29. A few showers and thunderstorms can occur in the months from July until about Labor Day when tropical moisture moves up from Arizona.
El Nino (ocean waters warmer than normal) and La Nina (ocean waters colder than normal) in the central Pacific Ocean influence storm track of winter storms. El Nino supports a southern latitude storm track and La Nina a northern-latitude storm track. Fortunately, central California is on the northern tier of the southern storm track which makes a long range weather forecast somewhat easier to predict.
The snow that falls in the Sierra Nevadas is rather unique. Storms coming in from in the Pacific Ocean especially in the southern storm track are packed with moisture so the snow can contain a great deal of water. This heavy wet snow is been referred to as “Sierra Cement”. Some skiers feel the depth of the snow is important but more importantly is the frequency of storms to keep the snow fresh. A storm every 5-7 days is an ideal scenario. However, during an active storm pattern several feet of snow can accumulate in just a short period of time.
The Sierra Mountains are prone to avalanches, especially after a active storm period. However, the ski resorts perform avalanche control early in the morning which ensures that the slopes safe for skiing during the day. If you venture into the back-country staying on flat terrain or on slopes that are not too steep (15 degrees or less).
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