Weather and Boating

Do not go on the lake with out a marine radio, or a cell phone. If you have an emergency one of these devices will be of great help in locating and getting assistants.

Lake Tahoe weather can change in minutes. A summer’s morning and the lake is glass then by the afternoon the lake can get 5-foot waves. It starts out with cumulus clouds (round puffy clouds) forming in the late morning. This usually starts on the west shore but can happen any where on the lake.

As the afternoon begins the clouds start to form into a Cumulonimbus cloud or thunderhead. The wind starts to pick up and small white caps begin to form. As the wind increases the white caps get larger and larger. The wavelengths are short and the height grows. You can get caught in the bottom of the trough and have water come over your bow. If you get sideways to the wave you can capsizes. This can be a life-threatening situation it you do not find shelter windward side of the shore. Wind can shift at Tahoe and can come out of one direction and make a 180-degree turn. You think you’re on the windward side of the shore but it turns out that the wind has change and now you on the leeward. Not a good place to be in a storm.

Water temperatures in early June can range from 42 degrees in the to 60 degrees at the end. There have been up welling during June and in some parts of Tahoe the water temperature can be as low a 36 degrees. Up welling are cause by wind blowing over the water on one side of the lake. The water on the other side of the lake get higher which pushes the warm water down and brings up the cold water on the other side. This can happen through out the summer. That’s way people say the water was cool and then they felt a very cold spot while they were swimming or wading.

I do believe that there was a recorded wave height of 9 feet on North Shore. One year a 7 or 8 footer hit the Tahoe Queen Paddle Wheeler. The wave broke out windows and the boat took on water. It made it back to its port and everyone was ok. I could have turned out different.

What do you do!

Before you go out get the marine forecast for Lake Tahoe. I have got weather forecast from NOAA that the wind would start out from the west and in the afternoon it would come out of the northeast. Keep and eye on the sky. The rim of the mountains around Tahoe is where you will see the clouds first. If you see the clouds forming into bigger clouds it is time to find shelter.

If you can go back to your dock or mooring that is the best thing to do. Find shelter in a building. If you are caught on a boat get to a windward shore. If caught in and lighting storm on the lake, take the lowest posture you can. Get in a ball position and lay low. This will increase your survival percentages from a lighting strike.

Always wear a PFD in an emergency on the water. It will give you extra survival time in the water. Lake Tahoe water temperatures are very cold. Surface tempertures can be as low as 30 degrees in the winter and as high as 70 degrees in the summer. Even in 70-degree water you can get hypothermia and time until exhaustion or unconsciousness: 2 to 7 hours. If you would like to see a chart on exposure to cold water click on the Cold Water Survival Link.