July 14, 2021
Short-Term:
With the hot temperatures and dry weather, we saw an uptick in the number of fires around the state this week. Luckily for the Tahoe Basin so far the location of the fires and the wind direction have kept most of the smoke away from the area.
The high temperatures are going to cool back into the low 80s Thursday – Friday, and maybe only upper 70s out on the lake on top of the cooler lake waters. The typical afternoon Zephyr breezes from the southwest will increase each afternoon. Gusts of 15-20+ mph are expected on the lake causing choppy water away from the west shore during the afternoons. Dry air in place will keep us sunny during the day with no thunderstorm chances.
The Weekend:
Over the weekend we will start warm back up slightly with highs into the low 80s at lake level. The afternoon Zephyr winds will continue. A slight increase in moisture in the atmosphere by Sunday afternoon could bring some cumulonimbus clouds over the mountains and maybe a stray isolated thunderstorm, but the chances are low right now.
Early Next Week:
As we go into next week high pressure will build to our east over the western U.S. bringing another round of hotter temperatures for that region. That will continue to warm us up slightly but not as much as this past week. High temperatures should remain in the low-mid 80s at lake level. The increasing southwest winds on the lake during the afternoons should continue, with gusts of 10-20+ mph.
The one change going into early next week will be that the southerly flow on the western side of the high over the West will help to draw monsoonal moisture northward towards CA. Most of the moisture should stay to our south, but the increase could bring a better chance for afternoon thunderstorms to pop up in spots. Keep an eye out for cloud buildups that could bring thunderstorms and lightning over the lake.
– BA