To put the 2011 season in perspective, as of March 28th, we recorded 567 inches of snow (47.3 feet), which ranks it as the 16th snowiest winter of record, just behind 1936, but ahead of 1911. In case you’re wondering, the top five snowiest winters at Norden are (in order) 1938, 1952, 1880, 1890 and 1895. With the month of April still to go, it’s likely this year will advance in the top 20 rankings in the weeks ahead.
The deep snowpack at lake level this March is the greatest since the winter of 1995, which ranks 12th on the all time snowfall list at Norden. However, 1995 ranks second on the all-time wettest winter list, a year that pulled in 9 feet of precipitation. That winter’s snowmelt bumped up Tahoe more than 5.5 feet in one season, the second greatest rise on record.
