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South Lake Tahoe, Eldorado County — In a perfect world, Tahoe would get a few inches of light, powdery snow every weekday for several weeks during the winter, business owners say. , hotels, ski resorts, etc.
Instead, atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclone storms are causing massive amounts of wet heavy snowfall. Snow has fallen so heavily and is so wet that it has closed the highway to the lake, pulled down power lines and caused blackouts, leaving some ski lifts at ski resorts, including the gondolas at Heavenly Tahoe and Palisades Tahoe. department was closed. Accompanying publicity, such as a meteorologist and his CHP staff warning drivers to stay home until the storm has passed, has led some visitors to avoid the area altogether. rice field.
Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, said business for tourism companies has fallen just under 10% so far this winter, although she doesn’t have official figures yet. .
Storms and their inconveniences also negatively impact Lake Tahoe’s image as a winter wonderland. It detracts from what Mike Perron, marketing manager at Bar & Grill Tahoe Alleworks puts it, “the experience—the reason people come here.”
“It’s not,” he said of the snow. “That’s the dramatic nature of storms. They’re heavy, but they have different moisture content. First they’re wet and puddles low, then snow. A more aggressive type of blizzard.”
Storms also strike at inconvenient times, usually driving visitors away during busy times, such as the weekend or before, or during school breaks on holidays, such as the recent New Year’s Eve storm with widespread power outages. increase.
“If we had a choice, there would be no major storms during the holidays,” Chaplin said. “But obviously we can’t. We haven’t figured it out yet.”
The heavy rains that swept the Bay Area on Wednesday should have brought more than a foot of snow to the mountains around Lake Tahoe, but only a light drizzle. Then it was supposed to come late Wednesday to Thursday. According to the National Weather Service, the wind picked up, a cold rain started, and it started snowing all night, with about 5 to 6 inches of snow on South Lake Tahoe.
“They were calling for the worst storm in Northern California in over a decade,” said Chloe Renzi, coffeehouse manager at Lakeview Social in South Lake Tahoe.
Skiers and snowboarders enjoy tons of snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Thursday, January 5, 2023. Authorities have declared a state of emergency as they face one of the most difficult and impactful storms in years. has been issued.
Bronte Witpen / ChroniclePredictions and sloppy snow managed to cut into business, she said.
“It was quite late,” she said. “A lot of people didn’t want to go out on the road.”
Several businesses in the tourist-oriented Heavenly Village and South Lake Tahoe business strips have chosen not to operate at all.
Perron said the storm created a new season for Lake Tahoe — a season of blackouts — and businesses must be resilient to weather the new wet storms.
Tahoe Aleworx survived a storm and a 12-hour blackout on New Year’s Eve with a recently installed generator.
Skiers and snowboarders will head to California Lodge at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, CA on Thursday, January 5, 2023. While mountain communities prepared for more snow, much of the state experienced heavy rains and high winds. California officials have declared a state of emergency as he faces one of the most difficult and impactful storms in years.
Bronte Witpen / Chronicle“It paid dividends on New Year’s Eve,” he said. “We were able to keep the kitchen open and offer everything we always offer. It’s a game changer.”
“The place was packed,” he said. “People were excited and surprised to see us open.”
With more storms in the forecast, with two smaller storms coming this weekend and an atmospheric river storm Wednesday through Friday, Chaplin will visit Caltrans, CHP and the advice of meteorologists. I hope people pay attention. She also likes to look at the bright side: increasing snow cover and rising lake levels.
“We’ll take it. The lake will take it,” she said.
Michael Cabanatuan (he/he) is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @ctuan
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