The Altitude Factor
by dawn
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:49am (PST)
Earlier this week it hit a rare 90 degrees on the North Shore and it is hot. If it weren’t for the breeze at Diamond Peak, and occasional afternoon thunderstorms, it can feel as if the temperature might reach up to 100. But it has never gotten that hot in Tahoe, or has it? I can’t recall how often it has been 90 degrees in Tahoe since I’ve lived here for the past 15 years, let alone 100 degrees, so I did a little research. I Googled it. (Who goes to the library anymore?) What I found was that the average temp for July and August is 78 degrees in Incline Village. (I knew it has been abnormally hot, now I have proof!) The hottest temperature for Tahoe on record was 99 degrees on July 22, 1988.
I can’t imagine 99 in Tahoe. It’s been mostly in the mid 80’s recently, but it feels much hotter than that. I read that the high altitude and clear air actually intensifies our IV rays, making the temperature feel hotter. Kind of like how there’s a wind chill factor, we have an altitude factor. (Which is why it is very important to wear your sunscreen in the mountains; the odds of burning are much higher with the altitude factor.) According to the Accuweather website, it could be 88 right now but the “real feel” is like 93. Phew! This hot topic is making me yearn for winter. So let’s talk cold. Oh blessed, lovely, cold.
The average winter temperatures in Tahoe fall in the mid 30’s, and there was a tie for the record low according to Weather.com. The temperature -29 degrees (that a negative folks) was achieved on both Feb 7th 1989 and on December 9th 1972. That does not surprise me because I remember being a kid down in the San Francisco Bay Area and waking up one winter morning to several inches of snow on our front lawn, enough to make a snowman, and we did. It was magical. That marked the beginning of my love affair with the cold and snow. Every Tahoe local has a story like that. There is a perfectly good reason why on earth they would want to live somewhere where it snows up to 6 months out of the year. Yes, the cold makes my skin dry, and sometimes my toes go numb if I forget to wear thick enough socks on snowy days. Ice and snow is a pain in the butt to drive in if you’re not that experienced, and sometimes even if you are. Winter is freezing, wet and slippery and you have to shovel snow, but isn’t it glorious?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissin’ summer at the Lake. It’s got its own brand of wonderful. Boating on Lake Tahoe is one of the best things to do on earth, and in the summer the Lakes water is actually warm enough to swim in which helps ease those especially scorching days. There are a ton of great outdoorsy things to do in Tahoe, where many of the winter ski resorts turn into summer recreation parks. You could even hike at none other than yours truly, Diamond Peak. But boy is it hot for us cold lovers!
In the depths of summer like we are now, when everyone you encounter can’t help but comment about how miserably hot it is, just remember that in a mere 3 months, the temperature will be dropping enough to possibly even get that before-Halloween snow storm that often occurs. And in just 4 months from now, we could very well be buried in white wonderfully powdery cold wet slippery snow. Ahhh, I can just feel it now. Go ahead, close your eyes, and breathe in some sweet imaginary coldness. It’s magical, isn’t it?
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Posted by Dave2 | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:13pm (PST)
Dawn, I remember that whole week in '72 when it was WAY cold in Tahoe. I was in high school (IHS), and my Dad worked for Boise Cascade building condos. Back in those days, hardly anyone had 4 wheel drive and my Dad cursed driving in the ice in our great big rear-drive Mercury of the day, just to get to work!
Dad's company gave us kids free season passes to Ski Incline, and I instantly fell in LOVE with winter, and never wanted to move back to San Jose.
Just thinking about that chilly time has certainly helped bring "cool vibes" and makes this hot time a little easier..thanks for the "push"!
Posted by Dawn (Blogger) | Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:42am (PST)
Dave, I really enjoyed hearing your story of falling in love with winter. (We had one of those wood panelled station wagons, and never wore seat belts. It was too fun laying in the back on those long car trips with our feet up in the window! Good times.) I would love to hear everyone's stories of falling in love with Tahoe and/or winter & snow. When was that moment you knew you just couldn't live without it?
Posted by joe | Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:40pm (PST)
Well this is how my story go's. Lived in Conn. as a kid (never skied), moved to Florida at age 10 and now I'm 43. I live for the beach and the water (Scuba,Fishing,Water skiing) Scuba has been brought to a whole new level in the past 2 years with my 12 & 15 yr old getting certified. Oh ya lets not forget the jet ski's. The family is on the water 1-2 times a week. Anyway, did my first trip with the family to learn to ski in 2003 at diamond peak and now the whole family is hooked.(Been there every year since). My 15 yr old is already looking into colleges within driving range to Tahoe and with retirement in another 3 years. I'm also looking at spending the winters out there. Figure I'm still young & healthy why not live for skiing for a while. my Youngest called for a school project to see about the diamond peak ski team and the programs the schools offers for school credit and skiing. All I can say is that I love it out there and if life lets me and the family I will be a regular on diamond peak in 2013.
Posted by Dawn | Thursday, September 17, 2009 8:54am (PST)
From scuba to snow! Loved your story FL Dad! Thank you for sharing it. We look forward to seeing you and your children in the winter and possibly permanently in 2013?? You must stop by Administration and say hi!