56 feet and counting: Lake Tahoe records 2 of its snowiest months on record with more still to come
In addition to some of the snowiest months on record, so much snow has fallen across the Lake Tahoe area that the 2022-23 winter season is now its second snowiest on record.
Skier on huge walls of snow surrounding home near Lake Tahoe
SnowBrains CEO Miles Clark told FOX Weather about 15 feet of snow was on top of his friend’s home in Olympic Valley, California earlier in March. Clark noted he was afraid of falling snow and began running through a snow tunnel leading to the home. The home shook when snow fell to the ground.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – It’s been quite the winter for snow lovers in the West, but too much of the white stuff has turned into a nightmare for people living near Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border, as the region has now reported two of its snowiest months on record with more still to come.
So far this season, Lake Tahoe has reported 677 inches – or 56.4 feet of snow. And so much snow has fallen that January 2023 has gone down in the record books as its eighth-snowiest month, while March now ranks as Lake Tahoe’s seventh-snowiest month of all time.
That means two of the 10 snowiest months on record in Lake Tahoe have been reported during this season alone.
And with this latest atmospheric river storm slamming the Golden State, those totals will continue mounting as some parts of the Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges could pick up several more feet of snow through Wednesday.
But wait, there’s more.
CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN RESORTS BRACE FOR MORE SNOW AS SKI LIFTS BURIES BY DRIFTS
In addition to some of the snowiest months on record, Lake Tahoe's 2022-23 overall winter season is now the second snowiest on record.
It’s still far behind the top spot when during the 1982-83 season, 812 inches of snow, or 67.7 feet, fell.
RIDICULOUS PHOTOS SHOW AFTERMATH OF 12 FEET OF SNOW IN CALIFORNIA'S SIERRA NEVADA
![TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, residents are seen using a snow blower to clear snow from the room of a home on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow.]()
Image 1 of 9TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, residents are seen using a snow blower to clear snow from the room of a home on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow. (Justin Sullivan)
![TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, structures are seen buried in snow on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow.]()
Image 2 of 9TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, structures are seen buried in snow on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow. (Justin Sullivan)
![TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, a home is seen buried in snow on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow.]()
Image 3 of 9TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, a home is seen buried in snow on March 20, 2023 in Twin Bridges, California. The Lake Tahoe region is preparing for more snow in the coming days after seeing near record levels of snow so far this season. California continues to be impacted by atmospheric river events that are pummeling the state with heavy rains, high winds and snow. (Justin Sullivan)
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 4 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 11: People shovel snow from a roof near snowbanks piled up from current and previous storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event which brought heavy snowfall to the area, on March 11, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Flooding washed away roads and breached a levee in parts of northern and central California due to runoff from the state’s 10th atmospheric river storm. The eastern Sierra Nevada currently is holding 243 percent of its regular snowpack for this time of the year. President Joe Biden has approved Governor Gavin Newsom’s presidential emergency request in response to recent storms impacting California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) ( )
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 5 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Mammoth Lakes Fire Department firefighters use a ladder on a snowbank while responding to a propane heater leak and small fire at a shuttered restaurant surrounded by snowbanks, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, on March 12, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. (Mario Tama)
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 6 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: In an aerial view, a person shovels on a snowy roadway lined with snowbanks piled up from new and past storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, on March 12, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. The eastern Sierra Nevada currently is holding 243 percent of its regular snowpack for this time of the year. California is bracing for another powerful atmospheric river event, bringing more snow to higher elevations and rain to lower elevations, beginning tomorrow. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) ( )
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 7 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: In an aerial view, snow from new and past storms covers the landscape and rooftops of homes in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, on March 12, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Flooding washed away roads and breached a levee in parts of Northern and Central California due to runoff from the state’s 10th atmospheric river storm. The eastern Sierra Nevada currently is holding 243 percent of its regular snowpack for this time of the year. California is bracing for another powerful atmospheric river event, bringing more snow to higher elevations and rain to lower elevations, beginning tomorrow. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) ( )
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 8 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: In an aerial view, snow covers roofs next to snowbanks piled up from new and past storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, on March 12, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Flooding washed away roads and breached a levee in parts of Northern and Central California due to runoff from the state’s 10th atmospheric river storm. The eastern Sierra Nevada currently is holding 243 percent of its regular snowpack for this time of the year. California is bracing for another powerful atmospheric river event, bringing more snow to higher elevations and rain to lower elevations, beginning tomorrow. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) ( )
![California Hit By Another Winter Storm, Deepening The Already Historic Snowpack In Mountain Regions]()
Image 9 of 9MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: In an aerial view, a vehicle navigates a snowy roadway lined with snowbanks piled up from new and past storms in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the wake of an atmospheric river event, on March 12, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. Flooding washed away roads and breached a levee in parts of Northern and Central California due to runoff from the state’s 10th atmospheric river storm. The eastern Sierra Nevada currently is holding 243 percent of its regular snowpack for this time of the year. California is bracing for another powerful atmospheric river event, bringing more snow to higher elevations and rain to lower elevations, beginning tomorrow. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) ( )
Relentless storms hit Sierra since December
Severe winter weather has been battering California since a series of storms began slamming into the region in December.
Since then, feet upon feet have effectively buried communities in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, even requiring the National Guard to help buried residents dig themselves out.
Many residents were trapped for more than a week during previous storms this winter season, and some were forced to hike for miles to find stories that remained open but were stocked with limited supplies.
How much does snow weigh and can your roof handle it?
Heavy snowfall can pose a serious risk to homes, causing roof drainage concerns, damage or even failure.
Deaths have also been reported because of the snow, including an 80-year-old woman who died when a porch collapsed due to the weight of the snow.
Even Yosemite National Park was overwhelmed by snowfall and was closed for weeks while crews worked to clear as much snow as possible from roads and structures to ensure the safety of visitors once it was safe to reopen the park.