By Kathryn Reed

Cold doesn’t even begin to describe what it feels like outside.

The record low temperature for Lake Tahoe on Dec. 8 was smashed. The new record of 13 below zero beat the previous record set in 1994 by 10 degrees.

A sailboat almost disappears in the inversion layer sitting on Lake Tahoe Dec. 9. Photo/Kathryn Reed

However, on Dec. 9 the record wasn’t even close to being broken. It only got down to minus 7 at the lake. The record of minus 29 degrees was set in 1972.

Reno recorded minus 6 on Dec. 9, while the record for that date of minus 16 was set in 1972.

Temperatures for Lake Tahoe are supposed to gradually get warmer starting Friday. Normal for this time of year is highs in the low 40s and lows about 18 degrees.

The lows tonight are forecast to be above zero as the snowstorm that is predicted to roll in this afternoon brings warmer temps with it. The highs for today and Friday at the lake are expected to range from the mid-20s to the mid-30s.

It’s not unusual for Carson City, Carson Valley and Reno to be colder than the lake this time of year.

“What happens this time of year is the cold air is heavier so it sets in the valleys longer,” explained Rudy Cruz, weather service specialist with the National Weather Service in Reno. “What you see in the winter is inversion at the lower levels. It can trap that dirty air until we get some winds to mix everything in the atmosphere.”

Another storm is expected to roll into the region on Saturday into Sunday.