By Kathryn Reed

Furnaces were churning and woodstoves smoking as the highs in the region over the weekend set records for how cold it was.

On Sunday in South Lake Tahoe the high was 57 degrees. This broke the record set in 1979 at 62 degrees. Normal is 77 degrees.

Calm waters and sunny skies are expected this week for Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

It was the fifth coolest high temperature on record for all Augusts dating to 1968.

South Tahoe came in with 0.16 inches of rain. About an inch of snow accumulated on Mount Rose at 9,000 feet and on other peaks around the basin.

Reno also set a record for Aug. 29. The mercury hit 64 degrees, while the previous record low maximum was 66 set in 1953.

It was 33 degrees in South Lake Tahoe at 5 this morning.

Lightning struck several places Sunday.

“We’re going back to summer here pretty quick,” Scott McGuire, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, said.

The sun has returned to the region today. The high today in Tahoe is expected to be in the 60s, the mid-70s on Tuesday and 80 by Friday. Add 10 degrees for Reno’s expected highs.

A low-pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska is to blame for the winter-like cold snap that blew through. Labor Day weekend is expected to normal weather-wise, but later next week another low pressure may come this way.