0500 temp. @6350’ in Carnelian Bay: 22.4 deg.

24 hr. new snow: 2”

Backcountry Obs:

Lingering patches of snow have remained throughout the Tahoe area on shady NE-NW aspects since the last snowfall in late October. Yesterday’s storm ended up dropping between 2-4” around the lake, with areas in the S and W sides receiving higher end amounts. Any zone that had consistent coverage prior to yesterday’s (11/11) storm should be noted as a potential area for future faceting and instabilities. While some open slopes didn’t have consistent coverage prestorm, other areas tucked in the trees or in shaded, wind loaded couloirs and gullies could be suspect as that snow likely degraded into weak facets and crusts during the cold, dry nights of early November. Any old snow from October is now buried after yesterday’s event.

Yesterday’s quick hitting (11/11) storm arrived warm, with snow levels initially around 7000’ that came crashing down to below 6000’ by early afternoon during the majority of accumulation. When the event wrapped up around sunset, cold temps further plummeted into the low 20s and teens under clear skies.

Forecast thoughts:

This week looks largely unsettled with rounds of rain and snow starting back up on Wednesday PM and lasting through the coming weekend. While none of the storms look like a slam dunk for big accumulations, it does look like the backcountry will see a few new inches with each impulse.

Temperatures for the week will peak on Wednesday in the mid to upper 40s around the lake before cooling off to midwinter highs (30s) for the end of the week and the coming weekend. Backcountry zones above 7000’ will surely be colder allowing for more snow to pile up and begin building the base for the coming season. With some luck, maybe forest service roads will soon have enough coverage for some mellow touring this coming weekend.