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Tahoe Nugget #225:
Good News from Tahoe!
March 2, 2012
This graph shows that although this winter is far from over, precipitation in the Northern Sierra is languishing between the two driest winters since the 8-Station Index was established in 1922.
Back to back storms from the Gulf of Alaska bombarded Tahoe resorts with up to six feet of fresh powder this week. Conditions are the
best of the winter right now and ski areas are hoping that business will boom right through the Easter Holiday.
Tahoe City restaurant needs a good shoveling before opening.
Statistically the months of March and April account for about one quarter of our annual precipitation and nearly 30 percent of our snowfall
, so there is still plenty of time to bump up our anemic numbers before winter winds down for good.
Winter is back in Tahoe City.
Powder snow is great for skiers and boarders, but the dry fluff hasn't done much to help ameliorate this winter's precipitation deficit. (See
chart.) We're still mired in the bottom 10 percentile of driest winters.
Historic Watson Cabin built in 1909 by Tahoe City's first constable Robert Montgomery Watson. This structure is the oldest in Tahoe City to sit on its original site and was one of the first built with indoor plumbing.
More good news came out this week when the University of California-Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center reported that
Tahoe's legendary, but endangered water clarity, improved by more than four feet last year. In 2011, the average depth a 10-inch white
disk, called a Secchi dish, remained visible was 68.9 feet, an improvement of about 4.5 feet over 2010.
Tahoe City Jail. In 1935, Harry Johanson became Tahoe City's second constable after the death of Robert Watson at age 77.
Harry Jo, as he was known, was an accomplished amateur athlete, Hollywood stunt double, former Royal Canadian Mounted
Police Officer, as well as a trained architect. Constable Johanson designed this jail which is located on Commons Beach in
Tahoe City. Inmates endured primitive conditions, but each cell offered a view of Lake Tahoe.
The good news comes with a grain of salt, however, as last year's average was the seventh lowest on record since 1968. In 1968, the Secchi dish could be seen at a depth of more than 102 feet.
Fresh snow puts a wintry look on Donner Peak. The snowshed that hugs the granite face below the peak provided trains
protection from avalanches. Central Pacific Railroad built the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad over Donner Pass in the 1860s. |
