Will the New Year Bring a Polar Coaster or a Ho-Hum Snow Year Warmed up by El Niño?
The Farmer's Almanac is calling winter 2020 "The Polar Coaster," predicting exceptionally cold weather throughout the United States. But what about North Lake Tahoe? In September 2019, meteorologists at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA") forecasted that this would be an El Niño winter in Tahoe with warmer than average temperatures and less snow than usual. Hmm... Those are very different outlooks. What will the new year bring?
View from the bunny hill at Northstar—December 21, 2019
So far, a few strong storms have blown through North Lake Tahoe, bringing fresh powder and good conditions for this early in the season. Snowfall at the North Lake Tahoe resorts is above average, with Northstar California Resort reporting 150 inches of snow, about 138% the average for this time of year. A few weekends ago, we spent a few days at Northstar, snowboarding and enjoying the pre-holiday fun. We were there right before the last storm dumped powder. The best conditions were at the top of the mountain, but even the beginner slopes had passable snow.
According to snow forecaster Bryan Allegretto, we're coming up on a dry spell with a chance for storms the second week of January. Whether this season is epic or ho-hum, we plan to make the most of it. Stay tuned for bi-weekly updates from the mountain.
To visit Happy Cabin during your trip to North Lake Tahoe / Tahoe Vista / Kings Beach, click here.
The Farmer’s Almanac and NOAA have weighed in on whether this will be an epic or a ho-hum year for snow in North Lake Tahoe, and their predictions couldn’t be more different. Stay tuned for real-time updates, as we give you bi-monthly updates from the mountain.