Lake Tahoe area sees heavy snowfall overnight following deadly avalanche
LAKE TAHOE — Just hours after an avalanche claimed the life of a 66-year-old man at an iconic Lake Tahoe ski resort, more snow moved into the region making road conditions ‘treacherous’ on what would be a popular weekend for skiers, according to area forecasters.
Point Reyes and Truckee area resident Kenneth Kidd died Wednesday in an avalanche that struck beneath KT-22 at Palisades Tahoe, a chairlift that accesses black-diamond and double-black-diamond advanced and expert terrain, around 9:30 a.m. The avalanche was estimated to be 150 feet wide and 10 feet deep. Another person suffered what the Placer County Sheriff’s Office called minor injuries.
“Our heart felt condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Kidd,” the office said in a statement.
Operations at Palisades Tahoe will be “significantly delayed” on Thursday, the famous ski resort announced, as crews lost road access to the KT-22 lift amid the avalanche and ensuing snowfall.
Thursday was expected to remain dry after heavy snowfall moved through the region on Thursday, but road conditions remained “sketchy to downright dangerous” throughout the Sierra Nevadas as snow and ice covered roadways, according to the National Weather Service.
Road conditions will range from sketchy to downright dangerous in the Sierra & western Nevada this AM.
Take it slow in ice and snow.
Road conditions:
NV: https://t.co/IHv76NNM5c
CA: https://t.co/rB1g4SZDOgSpoiler alert: Weekend Storm https://t.co/3XqE3vuQUs pic.twitter.com/YPDB0Eor29
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) January 11, 2024
Snow storms in the evening hours drove snow totals up at least a few inches in lower-elevation areas and as much as a foot on mountain tops, according to the NWS.
5:45 PM Radar Update | A band of heavy snow is beginning to move into the Greater Reno-Sparks area. This band will continue sliding south through the evening. Expect deteriorated road conditions across the Reno-Carson-Minden areas through the evening. #nvwx pic.twitter.com/paL0KIOqE0
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) January 11, 2024