The Storm We've Been Waiting For

We always heard about these epic Tahoe winters where people were snowed in their homes and the town was literally buried.  In 4 years of living in Tahoe, we've never experienced a winter like that.

Until now.

Sure, we've had a few "good" storms since we've been here.  But never more than 1.5 - 2 feet of snow at any one time.  And typically Tahoe weather includes a day (maybe 2) of snow before the bluebird skies return.  This time though, it seems as if it's been snowing since January 1st.

When I got home from my visit to NC, I was welcomed by several feet of snow.  Since I've been home, we've had almost constant snowfall... bringing FEET upon FEET of snow!

THE DECK WHEN I ARRIVED HOME ON JAN 5TH.

PS - THIS IS AFTER MIKE HAD ALREADY CLEARED IT
OF SNOW AT LEAST ONCE!

THE GRILL

NOTICE THE SNOW UP TO THE DECK RAILING

 About a day later, the skies cleared and we began the snow removal process. 

SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKY!

We shoveled decks.  We dropped cornices off our house.  The cornice in the video above actually fell with such force that it blew open our basement door.  Just a reminder how powerful the snow can be.  

Then came the rain.  

We had epic rainfall amounts.  Up to 3 inches of liquid fell on the mountain tops which caused the snow to melt and run off.  The valleys flooded.  Rivers were raging.  Potholes and sinkholes galore on all the roads.  A gross mess.  

THE TRUCKEE RIVER BY THE KEYS MARINA

I'm sure it's hard to tell how high that water is if you aren't from here.  Looks fine, right?  Typically those trees aren't in the river.  Typically you can barely see the river from this spot on the riverbank.  

There were huge concerns for Reno since the Truckee river flows through it.  It did reach major flood stage but apparently most homes and businesses were spared.  The Carson river also reached major flood stage.  Some homes and businesses in the valley just below our house were damaged.  Roads were closed until the water could subside.  A total mess. 

To give a little perspective on 3 inches of liquid... if it had fallen as snow it could've been approximately 3 feet.  And, Reno's average rainfall for the ENTIRE CALENDAR YEAR is 7 inches. 

And following all that rain???  MORE SNOW!  

This was our second atmospheric river event (which is basically a straight stream of moisture from the Pacific that just continuously pounds us).

I'm not exactly sure what we got here at the house because it was windy and the snow piled up in drifts.  But, ski reports by our house are reporting 8-9 feet.  Entire ski lodges are completely buried.  See my facebook page for more local stories.  I've been trying to share some of the major storm pictures/videos.  

Here are some pics I snapped:

HERE IT COMES

A LEGITIMATE BLIZZARD

  So, despite the blizzard warning, schools in Douglas County operated as usual.  No surprise there.  And since Kingsbury Grade (the mountain pass I usually take to get to work) was closed for a sinkhole repair, I had to drive out of my way to go over Spooner summit every day.  Even though it is  a MUCH longer drive, I honestly think it's one of the most beautiful drives ever!  So, although it's harder on my pocketbook because it means I'm buying gas more frequently, it's really not too bad.  

Although, with the storm, chain controls have been on which means the speed limit is 25 mph which basically means that it takes me 1.5 hours (minimum) to get to my nearest school.  

DRIVING SPOONER

BIG THANKS TO THE PLOW DRIVERS WHO HAVE BEEN CLEARING
STREETS FOR DAYS NOW! 

THE "SNOW REMOVAL AREA" LOOKS PRETTY FULL.

NEXT DOOR

OUR HOUSE.... NO OUR NEIGHBORS DIDN'T SHOVEL THEIR SIDE...
THAT'S JUST HOW THE WIND BLOWS!  IT DEPOSITS ALL THEIR
SNOW ON OUR SIDE (B SIDE). 

I GAVE UP ON SHOVELING THE FULL WIDTH OF
OUR STAIRS.... JUST A PATH WILL DO. 

CAN'T PUSH SNOW OFF THE DECK ANYMORE. 

FOGGY. 

AND ICY!!!!  MY CAR WAS FROZEN SOLID.

HAD TO CHIP AWAY AT THE ICE TO BE ABLE TO
OPEN THE DOOR. 

CAN YOU SEE OUR BASEMENT DOOR??? 

SNOW BANKS BY THE DUMPSTERS.  LOL I NEEDED A REFERENCE
FOR THE PICTURE SO YOU COULD TELL HOW HIGH THE
SNOW BANKS ARE. 

IS THAT SUNSHINE I SEE????????????? 

SNOW BANKS TALLER THAN MY SUBARU (AND HALF AS TALL AS A
SEMI) ON LUTHER PASS. 

SWEET, SWEET BLUE SKY!!!!!!  

BEAUTIFUL SKIES IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

AND THIS MORNING THE FOG WAS BACK. 

  Toward the end of this atmospheric river event, our snowblower decided to seize and die.  Leaving us a bit stranded and feeling a bit helpless.  And because of the sheer volume of snow we received, there was not a snowblower available for purchase for MILES and MILES.  

Luckily, my dear husband put in lots of time in internet searches and phone calls to various stores.  He met people on craigslist and contemplated buying old snowblowers for high prices just because there were none to be found.  Finally, he found a place in Reno that had something in stock that might suit our needs!  I'm hoping he's feeling a little sense of relief.  It's been a stressful few days. 

OUR NEW SNOWBLOWER!  FINALLY!!!!  

All this fresh powder and neither of us went skiing today.  What a shame.  We were too busy adulting.  I cleaned the bathtub in our rental unit because Mike recently resealed the tub and our lovely tenants come home soon.  I also did laundry because all his ski gear needed to get washed before he heads back to work tomorrow.  He dug out both basements  and tracked down a snowblower (and spent hours thoroughly clearing our parking areas).  While all the tourists were out enjoying our fresh powder, we adulted.  Hope that pays off for us somehow.  

Anyway, there's always tomorrow.  And tomorrow... we ski!  

I won't rant on the blog about my adventures with tourists on this holiday weekend.  I'll try to keep the blog a bit classier than that (but you can find my rants on facebook for sure).  It's been an adventure. 

Well folks, there is another atmospheric river in our forecast for next week.  Will it be a rain event???  Will it be more snow????  Too soon to tell!  So stay tuned!