722″ – Lake Tahoe, CA, Snowfall is Now Double the Annual Average

SnowBrains |
As of today, April 3rd, the Lake Tahoe area has 722″ of total snowfall, doubling the area’s annual average. | Photo: Scott Gaffney IG

According to the UC Berkeley Central Snow Laboratory at 6,900โ€ฒ on Donner Pass, CA, which has been keeping precise snowfall records since 1946, this season’s snowfall has doubled the median annual snowfall of 360″.

The area has received 722″ of fresh snowfall this winter.

“6.7” (17 cm) of #snow over the last day brings our season total to 722″ (18.35 m). We now have double our median annual snowfall of 360″ (9.15 m)!

UCB_CSSL

The UCB Snow Lab recorded 220โ€ณ of snowfall in March.ย 

“This just became the snowiest March ever recorded in Tahoe! The Central Sierra Snow Lab has recorded 220โ€ of snow so far this month.

This is also Tahoeโ€™s third snowiest month ever, behind only January 2017 and February 2019. The record for Tahoeโ€™s biggest winter is only 97 inches awayโ€ฆ. will April bring more snow?”

Tahoe Fund



With 90″ to go, can the Tahoe area break its all-time snowfall record? Credit: UCB_CSSL

Will Tahoe break the record this year? The deepest winter the Central Sierra Snow Lab recorded was 812 inches in 1951/52. That’s 90″ away, and Tahoe still has April to get there.

About the UC Berkeley Central Snow Laboratory:

Located at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada, the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory is a research field station of UC Berkeley specializing in snow physics, snow hydrology, meteorology, climatology, and instrument design. Built in 1946 by the (then) U.S. Weather Bureau and Army Corps of Engineers, it is now managed by UC Berkeley.

CSSL has a consistent record of precipitation, snowfall, snow depth, and air temperature for the periods of 1946-1952 and 1957-present. The Lab also has long-term data sets on wind speed and direction, solar radiation, snow temperature, relative humidity, and soil moisture. A wide range of other data has been recorded and used at the lab.ย 



SNOWPACK:

  • 224% = Percent of Average SWE (Snow Water Equivalent) to Date
  • 202% = Percent of Average Peak SWE

PRECIPITATION:

  • 722โ€ณ = Season Total Snowfall to Date
  • 222% = Percent of Average Snowfall to Date
  • 165% = Percent of Average Precipitation (Snow & Rain) to Date

Current Snow Lab Stats as of April 3rd, 2023:

snowpack, tahoe
CSSL Accumulated Snowfall (in) Compared to 1991-2020 Median.

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