When will Tahoe-area ski resorts open for winter sports season? See key dates
Fall is still holding on in the Lake Tahoe area with sunshine and mild temperatures, but local resorts are already ramping up for skiing and snowboarding.
Several Tahoe-area ski resorts have announced opening dates for the 2024-25 winter sports season.
Opening dates are liable to change based on conditions and will be adjusted as time goes on.
Check with individual resorts when planning your mountain getaways
When will Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts open for the season?
Here are opening dates for the following Tahoe-area ski resorts, according to their websites, company officials and ski report website On the Snow:
Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe: Friday, Nov. 8.
Boreal Mountain Resort: Nov. 15 or Nov. 22.
Northstar California Resort: Nov. 22.
Heavenly Ski Resort: Nov. 22.
Sugar Bowl Resort: Nov. 22.
Palisades Tahoe: Nov. 27
Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort: Nov. 29
Soda Springs Mountain Resort: Nov. 29
Bear Valley Mountain: Nov. 29.
How much snow has fallen so far in Sierra Nevada?
Not much snow had fallen in the Lake Tahoe area as of Thursday, Nov. 7, according to the National Weather Service office in Reno.
Tahoe-area ski resorts saw some snowfall in October, with up to two inches in the upper Sierra Nevada.
That was enough to get snow machines going early at Palisades Tahoe, resort spokesperson Madison Condon previously told The Sacramento Bee.
Boreal Mountain Resort reported up to four inches of snowfall on Nov. 2, The Bee reported at the time.
The California Department of Transportation’s Kingvale Maintenance Station, which has an elevation of approximately 6,100 feet, saw 2.5 inches of snow on Nov. 2, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dakari Anderson.
Castle Peak, which has an elevation of 7,100 feet, saw 5 inches of snow, Anderson said, and Lower Lassen Peak at an elevation of 8,200 feet got 15.4 inches, on Nov. 2.
What’s in the weather forecast for Tahoe area?
Following snowfall on Nov. 2, UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab predicted up to 3.7 inches of snow would fall less than 100 miles away from the Lake Tahoe area in the Sierra Nevada over the next week.
The National Weather Service’s latest forecast for the greater Lake Tahoe area calls for clear, sunny skies through the weekend, with high temperatures in the low 50s to 60s and low temperatures in the mid-20s to mid-30s.
Rain and snow are likely on Monday, Nov. 11 — Veteran’s Day — when high temperatures will reach 44 to 54 degrees and low temperatures will drop to 16 to 26, the weather service said.
It’ll be partly cloudy on Tuesday, when highs could reach 43 to 53 and the overnight lows could dip to 21 to 31.
On Wednesday, the Tahoe area will see partly cloudy skies with highs of 50 to 60 and lows of 25 to 35.
There’s “a chance of rain and snow” on Wednesday night, the weather service said, as well as Thursday.
Highs on Thursday could reach 46 to 56 degrees.
Will California see a cold, wet winter?
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s U.S. Winter Outlook, a La Niña weather pattern will shape winter conditions in California.
NOAA’s winter outlook predicts wetter-than-average conditions across the northern part of the country, with especially high precipitation expected in the Pacific Northwest.
Southern regions, including parts of California, may experience drier-than-average conditions.
The outlook shows California has “equal chances” of above or below-average temperatures,” the weather agency said.
Most of California has “equal chances of below-average, near-average or above-average seasonal total precipitation,” NOAA said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2024 at 5:00 AM.