Several feet of snow has blanketed the Lake Tahoe area this week, and more is on the way
A powerful winter storm has dropped feet of snow across the Lake Tahoe area in recent days, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
From Sunday through mid-Wednesday morning, as much as 68 inches of snow had fallen in the area of Homewood, on the western shore of Lake Tahoe, according to the National Weather Service office in Reno.
At the Northstar California Resort, a total of 57 inches was recorded. Since Sunday, 67 inches has fallen at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory.
In the Tahoe Donner area, about 62 inches of snow has fallen.
Another 1 to 5 inches of snow was expected to fall across the Greater Lake Tahoe area Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Much heavier snow is forecast to hit the area Thursday, with up to 14 inches expected in areas 7,000 feet or more above sea level.
That inclement weather forecast continues to be a concern as authorities weigh how, and when, to retrieve the bodies of eight skiers who were killed in an avalanche north of Lake Tahoe Tuesday. One person remains unaccounted for, but is presumed dead.
As of Wednesday morning, rescuers had been pulled from the area until it was safe to return to retrieve the bodies, according to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon.
“We can have all the resources we want, but if it’s not safe to get to that location we really have to make sure that we’re making the right decisions,” Moon said.
On Wednesday, the Sierra Avalanche Center reported the risk of avalanches remained high in the area. An avalanche warning remains in effect until Thursday morning.