2006
Two years ago, in 2006, a powerful storm on February 27 and 28, 2006 dropped five inches rain on Ward Peak above Alpine Meadows ski area, and wind gusts surged to 162 mph. Runoff from the Sierra Nevada engorged local streams and rivers. Some of the same western Nevada businesses and residences that suffered damage in the $18 million New Years' flood of 2005 once again had to protect themselves with piled sandbags.


Coldest AND Snowiest
The fact that Truckee is frequently the nation's coldest location is a considered a tongue-in-cheek joke among locals. They know the relatively low temperatures usually occur from late spring through early fall. However, the town now has another meteorological claim to fame that locals can boast about. In the book, Extreme Weather: A Guide and Record book, author Christopher C. Burt ranks Truckee as the snowiest city in the United States. Truckee's annual average snowfall of 203 inches nosed out second place Marquette, Michigan's 180 inches, and handily superseded the 173 inches recorded at third place Steamboat Springs, Colorado.


Testament to the climatic extremes found in our Sierra, we are in one of the snowiest regions in the U.S. and we are sandwiched between sun-drenched California and bone-dry Nevada. It is out good fortune to have willing Snowfighters keeping us living in relative comfort.

The photos are (c) 2006 by Mark McLaughlin who is a weather historian living on the North Shore.