5 Lakes Trail at AlpineTahoe Weather Geek (with permission)
Forecast summaries for Tahoe residents and Sierra-bound travelers

June 18, 2009

One of the stranger Junes in recent memory continues this weekend after a very fleeting glimpse of the summer to come today.

A ridge of high pressure briefly builds over the Sierra this morning, bringing seasonably warm and even above normal-temperatures today before breaking down on Friday. Look for highs in the 70s today around the lake and into the 60s at the mountain passes, while Reno hits 80 for the first time this month and Sacramento pushes into the 90s. The threat of thunderstorms is slight, but moisture in the air from the front that passed through earlier this week could trigger a few showers along the crest, especially south of Tahoe.

That will be it, though. Friday will carry through with some residual warmth but by Friday afternoon or evening another trough of low pressure will be heading our way, bringing cooler temperatures and a renewed threat of widespread showers and thunderstorms. High temperatures will drop another 5 to 10 degrees and winds should pick up, with gusts around 30 mph.

Saturday and Sunday should also be cool but drier, before high pressure begins to build again early next week. By Tuesday or Wednesday temperatures should be near normal for this time of year.

Ride of the week

Tahoe Donner Loop

This 18-mile loop through what you might call "suburban" Truckee is surprisingly satisfying, either by itself on a short day or tacked onto a longer ride. It works well in combination with the Cisco Grove to Donner Lake loop or the standard Truckee-Tahoe City-Kings Beach loop when you want some extra climbing. It includes about 2500 feet of elevation gain, with about 1800 feet of that in the first six miles after leaving Donner Pass Road at Northwoods Blvd. The views from the top of Tahoe Donner are sweeping. On a clear day you can see deep into the Tahoe Wilderness in several directions.
http://www.tahoeloco.com/extreme-tahoe

Hike of the week

Five Lakes Trail

The hike to Five Lakes in the Granite Chief Wilderness near Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley can be busy with people and dogs, especially on a mid-summer weekend. But midweek it is more peaceful and the payoff for this short, accessible trek is sweet: a quintet of lakes in which to fish or swim.
http://www.tahoeloco.com/extreme-tahoe

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