Lake Tahoe may seem chilly to many, but a new University of California report says there are troubling signs that the scenic Sierra Nevada lake is warming up.
The UC Davis report says the warming trend "could have profound implications" for features that make Tahoe so popular: snowfall in the winter and a cobalt-blue lake in the summer.
The report says the average July surface water temperature has increased almost five degrees, from 62.9 degrees to 67.8 degrees, since 1999. The lake's surface waters were the warmest on record on July 26, 2006, at 78 degrees.
- Nights are warmer: Night low temperatures have risen more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1911.
- Cold days are fewer: The number of days with average air temperatures below freezing has dropped from 79 days to 52 days since 1911.
- Less precipitation falls as snow: The percentage of snow in total precipitation has decreased from 52 percent to 34 percent since 1911.
- Lake water is warmer: The average July surface water temperature has increased almost five degrees, from 62.9 degrees F. to 67.8 degrees F., since 1999. The lake's surface waters were the warmest on record on July 26, 2006: 78 degrees F.
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