Headed to Tahoe for Thanksgiving? Here’s the forecast — and which ski resorts are open

Jacqueline Pinedo
·2 min read

Headed to Tahoe for Thanksgiving?

You can expect chilly temperatures and mostly clear skies on the mountain, according to the National Weather Service.

“The days leading up to Thanksgiving are going to be super pleasant and really great for traveling,” said Tyler Salas, a NWS meteorologist in Reno, Nevada.

Although light rain showers are forecast for early Thursday, “It won’t be an impactful system by any means,” Salas said.

What’s in the weather forecast for Tahoe?

Mostly clear skies are forecast through the week in Tahoe, with highs reaching 57 degrees Fahrenheit and lows dropping to 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service’s five-day forecast.

On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, temperatures will reach 50 degrees, then dip to the low 20s overnight

On Thursday morning, “We’ll have a cold front swinging through the region, that will be able to generate a few showers,” Salas said.

There’s a 10% to 20% chance of rain showers in the Tahoe area, he said.

Most of those showers will favor northwestern Nevada rather than Northern California, Salas said.

“We could see a few showers kind of sneak into areas a little bit closer to the (Interstate) 80 corridor, which would include the Tahoe Basin as well,” he said.

As of Tuesday morning, 10 inches of snow had fallen at Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe this season, including 3 inches in the past seven days.

The resort has a base elevation of 6,255 feet with a peak altitude of 10,067 feet.

The Central Sierra Snow Lab, located at Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada, had recorded 1 inch of snow in its seven-day forecast over the past seven days. The research station for the Berkeley Snow Lab is at an elevation of 6,894 feet

Which Tahoe area ski resorts are open?

Although some Tahoe area ski resorts will remain closed until December, others have already opened their doors to winter sports enthusiasts.

Those include Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Kirkwood, Northstar California Resort in Truckee and Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe in Nevada.

Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe was initially scheduled to open on Nov. 17, but pushed its opening date to Tuesday.

Here are other resorts on the mountain expected to open to skiers and snowboarders this week:

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