Heavenly Mountain Resort postponed its opening for
the 2009-10 ski season by a day due to high winds
from an approaching storm. Photo: Vail Resorts
Storm may bring foot of snow
Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., has postponed opening-day operations from Friday to Saturday due to high winds associated with an approaching snowstorm.
According the National Weather Service, the strongest winds are expected ahead of the snow between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. PST. The winds of 25 to 40 mph may gust to 60 to 70 mph with gusts over the Sierra ridges reaching 130 mph.
The snowstorm is expected to bring snowfall to the Lake Tahoe area primarily between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time on Friday. Total snowfall accumulations of 8 to 16 inches in the higher elevations and 3 to 8 inches at lake level are forecast with the storm.
The resort reported only 8 to 12 inches of total natural snowfall for the season prior to the approaching storm. With limited natural snow, the scheduled opening was made possible almost solely through snowmaking operations.
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