South Lake Tahoe, CA/NV…Another series of early season winter storms at Tahoe South delivered 1-2 feet at mountain tops and 4-6 inches at lake level for the Christmas/Hanukkah holidays. NOAA forecasters call for a chance of snow New Year’s Eve and into 2017 with accumulations likely the first week of January.

Tahoe’s white Christmas gifts 1-2 feet of new snow and forecasts call for promising start to New Year. Courtesy: Heavenly Mountain Resort

Season snowfall totals at South Shore resorts range from 78-95 inches, up over the same time Dec. 2015, with top to bottom conditions at Heavenly Mountain Resort and Sierra-at-Tahoe, with Kirkwood Mountain Resort 100 percent open. (http://tahoesouth.com/).

“This winter is off to a great start with leading accommodations, restaurants and area attractions well above numbers for this time last year,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “Locals and area businesses look forward to sharing this special place with friends and visitors throughout the new year.”

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATIONS
Heavenly Holidays kicks the season into high gear through Dec. 31 at Heavenly Village. The family festival includes ice sculptors, DJs, live music and magicians. The event concludes with a New Year’s Eve celebration, including a live outdoor concert at Heavenly Village and countdown to the brightly-lit gondola ball-drop with fireworks starting at 9 p.m. (www.skiheavenly.com).

The New Year’s Eve party continues with live music/DJs, dancing, imbibing, and gaming at all of the casino nightclubs: Vinyl at Hard Rock, Peek at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Opal at MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa.

The highly anticipated SnowGlobe Music Festival returns, Dec. 29-31, with electronic sights and sounds leading into the New Year. The three-day dance party outside at Lake Tahoe Community College features nationally renowned headliners The Chainsmokers, Flume, Major Lazer and many more. SnowGlobe will also feature dynamic fireworks displays and “big air” snowboarding and skiing demos between main stage sets (www.snowglobemusicfestival.com).

SAFE TRAVELS
During snowfall, a fleet of city and state snow removal vehicles work around the Lake Tahoe Basin to keep roads clear and safe for travel. Caltrans has current California road conditions at www.dot.ca.gov or 1-800-427-ROAD (7623) or 916-445-7623. For road conditions in Nevada, contact the Nevada Department of Transportation at http://nvroads.com or 877-687-6237.

For the most up-to-date information on snowfall, mountain base depths and road conditions in South Lake Tahoe, check area ski resort web sites and cams or call snow phones Heavenly: 775-586-7000; Sierra-at-Tahoe: 530-659-7475; Kirkwood: 209-258-3000.