Freezing temps returning to Lake Tahoe Basin

By Kathryn Reed

Bring in those plants that don’t like freezing temps and get out the fleece, it’s going to be nippy out. A hard freeze is possible this week.

A low-pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska will be sitting over the Lake Tahoe-Reno area on Wednesday and Thursday. Expect the high in Lake Tahoe to be 60 Wednesday and in the upper 50s on Thursday. Overnight lows will be near freezing on Wednesday and in the upper 20s Thursday night. In areas a little farther from the lake, like Meyers, take a couple degrees off those temps.

It was warm enough Labor Day for a family to enjoy Cove East; but the outside air will soon resemble the lake temp. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Reno will be about 70 on Wednesday and in the 60s on Thursday.

“The temperatures will rebound by Saturday,” according to Rhett Milne, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. That means low 70s for the basin.

Most of the moisture associated with the cold front should pass to the north of the region, though scattered afternoon and evening showers on Wednesday are possible.

For today, a red flag warning remains in affect until 11pm. This means with all the wind and dry conditions the fire danger is high.

Lake Tahoe, though visibly low, remains 0.8 feet above the natural rim.

“I don’t think we’ll go below it. Maybe if we don’t get anything for another month or so we’ll go below,” Milne said.