0400 temp at 6350′ in Carnelian Bay: 34.2 deg.

0530 temp at 8565’ at Tahoe Meadows: 28 deg.

New snow: 1-2″ new snow

Backcountry obs:

A quick jaunt up Incline Lake Peak in the Mt. Rose area this morning revealed very light amounts of new snow from the previous two impulses this week. 1-2″ of new snow had fallen around Tahoe Meadows while forested N aspects above 9000′ held up to 4″ atop dry, dusty ground. Near treeline terrain and shaded N and NE forested aspects above 9200′ host a contiguous 4-8″ shallow snowpack with old crusty layers from early Nov. storms beneath. Other aspects more exposed to wind and sun have nary a dusting to an inch of recent snow cover.

Any recreating on snow in this area remains confined to dirt roads.

Weather/forecast thoughts:

The weak, unsettled pattern forecast for this week has largely played out: an inch here, an inch there with each system. Greater amounts have fallen across the W portion of the Tahoe Basin and along the Sierra Crest. High SW winds winds have presaged each system creating big lake waves and spectacular sunrise lenticular and Sierra wave cloud shows.

Today (11/14) another slightly more potent system will approach Tahoe with increasing winds and cool temps in the upper 30s to low 40s below 7000′. Snow showers may affect the region throughout the day, especially along the crest, steadily advancing further E across the basin throughout the afternoon.

Tonight temps fall behind a cold front allowing for snow levels to drop below 6000′ as bands of snow showers organize and increase in intensity throughout the overnight hours and into Fri. Temps around the lake will just barely break freezing tomorrow as widespread snowfall starts the day and tapers by evening. In total, another 2-5″ could fall for Basin communities while backcountry zones have a decent chance of receiving 4-8″ of fresh snow. Higher amounts could pan out near the crest, with some favored zones possibly seeing up to a foot.

Saturday a transient ridge of high pressure will bring sunny skies and cool temps in the 30s and 40s. Another modest system could bring another few inches to the backcountry Sun. and Mon. before a less active pattern takes over for remainder of next week.