It’s Been 11 Years Since This Happened in Tahoe

For the first time in over a decade, California’s famous lake is brimming with water.

Even if you can’t make it to Tahoe this fall before the winter chill sets in, it’s worth scrolling though these images posted by SF Gate to witness the post-drought impact on the basin. After a treacherously dry several years, the recent rain and snow boom to Northern California has resulted in a robust and resilient Lake Tahoe.

“It started with a powerful and unrelenting series of blizzard blasts that coated the Northern Sierra this winter. Storms buried the Lake Tahoe area in snow, crippling transportation, shuttering ski resorts, knocking out power and disrupting the daily lives of thousands,” as SF Gate reported previously.

“In the first three weeks of January alone, the region received nearly a full winter’s worth of snow. Then came February, and the Sierra Nevada was slammed yet again with moisture-packed chains of storms fueled by weather systems known as atmospheric rivers or the ‘Pineapple Express.’

“By winter’s end, the Sierra snowpack was among the largest in recorded history. And then the hot weather hit, the snow began to melt, sending water pouring down the mountainsides into the lake.”

You can view the impact here.

Photo by Romain Guy