NOAA Tahoe City averages about 179 inches of snow a seasonFreeze-thaw Tahoe City averages about 171 freeze-thaw days a year in our count of NOAA dataChain controls Caltrans posts R1, R2 and R3 chain controls on I-80 and U.S. 50Lake Tahoe Caltrans uses brine, salt and low-fines sand in the basin under a lake clarity planEst. treated salt Pre-treated bulk salt usually runs $20–$50 a ton over plain rock saltEst. salt brine Salt brine by the gallon: roughly $0.20–$0.40, before deliveryEst. bagged rock salt Pallet of 49 × 50 lb rock salt bags: roughly $240–$330Est. ice melt pallet Pallet of 49 × 50 lb blended ice melt: roughly $430–$600Rule of thumb Plain rock salt slows way down below about 15°F pavement temperatureFall pre-buy Lock in tons and pickup or delivery before the first storm, not during itNOAA Tahoe City averages about 179 inches of snow a seasonFreeze-thaw Tahoe City averages about 171 freeze-thaw days a year in our count of NOAA dataChain controls Caltrans posts R1, R2 and R3 chain controls on I-80 and U.S. 50Lake Tahoe Caltrans uses brine, salt and low-fines sand in the basin under a lake clarity planEst. treated salt Pre-treated bulk salt usually runs $20–$50 a ton over plain rock saltEst. salt brine Salt brine by the gallon: roughly $0.20–$0.40, before deliveryEst. bagged rock salt Pallet of 49 × 50 lb rock salt bags: roughly $240–$330Est. ice melt pallet Pallet of 49 × 50 lb blended ice melt: roughly $430–$600Rule of thumb Plain rock salt slows way down below about 15°F pavement temperatureFall pre-buy Lock in tons and pickup or delivery before the first storm, not during it

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Storm Center

Live radar, the official National Weather Service forecast and alerts for California, and NOAA's winter outlook, all in one place. Watch the storm, then lock in your salt.

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NWS radar, Pacific Southwest region — Pacific Southwest region. Source: NOAA / National Weather Service

NWS radar, National — National. Source: NOAA / National Weather Service

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NOAA Climate Prediction Center

Winter outlook, December–February

NOAA CPC seasonal temperature outlook for December through February — Temperature outlook. Source: NOAA CPC (live image, updated monthly).

NOAA CPC seasonal precipitation outlook for December through February — Precipitation outlook. Source: NOAA CPC (live image, updated monthly).

In plain English (NOAA CPC outlook issued October 15, 2026, for Dec 2026–Feb 2027): NOAA's seasonal maps are updated monthly; check the outlook below for the current lean in the northern Sierra. One atmospheric river can make or break a Tahoe winter. These are probabilities, not a forecast of any storm. The maps above update automatically when NOAA issues a new outlook (third Thursday of each month), so this summary may lag behind them.

Official outlooks: NOAA CPC seasonal outlooks. We don't make our own predictions.

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Winter outlook, December–February