The winds were mild around South Lake Tahoe on Saturday morning. The sky was clear. The highs started to rise into the upper 50s.
The National Weather Service had issued a wind alert the previous day, but it seemed that the weather had finally subsided on Saturday. Although there was a risk of rain and a slim chance of thunderstorms, regular boaters at the High Sierra Lake were not surprised by the forecasts.
Hundreds of fishermen and boaters set out.
And at first, it seemed like a pleasant day on the water. Joby Cefalu remembers smooth seas and added that when he and his friends stopped near the east sides of the lake, they caught four fish almost instantly.
However, something changed at 2:00 p.m.
Co-owner of Mile High Fishing Charters and a lifelong Tahoe boater, Cefalu, saw some whitecaps forming. Additionally, the wind was rapidly increasing and coming from the north, which was unusual.
I informed my clients, As he piloted the boat back toward the marina, Cefalu recalled adding, “Basically, we’re looking at probably 2- or 3-foot chop by the time we get a half an hour from here, and from there it’s going to probably be a little bit worse.” There was five to six feet of chop in fifteen minutes, and eight to ten feet in thirty minutes.
As weather on the lake swiftly deteriorated, more quickly than many locals and experienced mariners had ever witnessed, the following two hours would be a race against Mother Nature and time. In only a few minutes, a number of boats on South Lake Tahoe capsized, plunging occupants into chilly and rough waters in at least two instances. Despite rescue efforts, eight of the ten people in one of the boats near D.L. Bliss State Park would perish in the hazardous conditions.
While several unmanned vessels broke free of their moorings and others sank or crashed into neighboring piers or other boats, others battled to get their boats ashore against the unrelenting waves. In some cases, onlookers helped panicked passengers get to safety. A number of buoys washed up on shore. Following terrifying boat excursions amid the dangerous conditions, several of people received treatment for hypothermia.
After decades of living and boating in the region, South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace declared, “It’s the worst situation I’ve seen on the lake.” Noting that South Lake Tahoe police officers and firefighters were able to rescue ten passengers whose boat capsized near Tahoe Keys Pier, she praised first responders, the local boating community, and bystanders for their heroic efforts throughout the crisis.
She claimed that many people were assisting others.
However, one group was not completely saved; eight individuals perished when their boat overturned. It was described by Wallace as an appalling tragedy.
Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, the Coast Guard and El Dorado Sheriff’s Office arrived on the shores of D.L. Bliss State Park in southwest Lake Tahoe after someone reported seeing 10 people in the water following a boat capsize. The Sheriff’s Office said that the waves in the region were about eight feet high.
Six individuals were discovered dead, according to officials, but two were first rescued and taken to a nearby hospital. Sheriff’s officials confirmed that the final missing boater was discovered dead on Monday afternoon after rescue crews retrieved a seventh body on Sunday.
The group had been in a 27-foot gold Chris-Craft ship, according to the Coast Guard. The owner of the yacht and the people on board are among the few other details regarding the voyage that have not been made public.
The Times repeatedly asked the Sheriff’s Office for comment, but other officials stated the collision was still being investigated. The identities of the victims were unknown.
Tahoe officials and residents said the abrupt change in conditions felt unprecedented, despite their constant warnings to exercise caution on the water and keep an eye on the weather.
The National Weather Service said that winds in South Lake Tahoe increased from 5 to 10 mph to 35 to 45 mph between noon and 3 p.m. From the middle of the 50s to the top 30s, the temperature fell. Additionally, reports of swells or chops reaching 7 to 10 feet suggested that the waves had grown by several feet. It even snowed at times throughout the storm.
According to Matthew Chyba, a weather service meteorologist headquartered in Reno, which encompasses the Tahoe region, this specific storm formed rather swiftly. Despite confirming that no advisories were issued for Tahoe on Saturday, Chyba classified the storm that swept in as an extraordinarily bad thunderstorm, which can produce deadly circumstances in the near term and is difficult to predict.
According to Chyba, it was highly localized. Sadly, it happened in an area where people were reenacting.
Cefalu, 57, claimed that although he could recall one or two prior days on the lake with comparable unfavorable circumstances, they didn’t progress as quickly or turn into as dangerous as they did on Saturday.
California
A boat capsized on Lake Tahoe during thunderstorms and strong wind gusts, leaving at least six people dead and two missing.
I spend several days of the year on the water. I’ve experienced almost every kind of condition, and that was something I’ve never witnessed occur so quickly, Cefalu said. On Lake Tahoe, it was simply a horrible day.
The frigid water, which, according to the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at UC Davis, stayed below 60 degrees all day Saturday and occasionally dropped into the low 50s, increased the risk. Officials warn that if someone is exposed to water below 70 degrees for an extended length of time, it might cause hypothermia.
After safely returning his charter to the marina, Cefalu quickly saw that many boaters, even those who had managed to return onshore, were in distress.
According to Cefalu, a huge number of victims were either in shock or hypothermia. He claimed that in order to help them get dry and then, gradually and safely, warm, he set up a sort of triage system in collaboration with marina employees and other locals. He claimed to have spent about two hours at the Tahoe Keys Marina attending to the needs of at least sixty persons, and he guessed that many other marinas and docks were facing comparable circumstances.
The bright afternoon swiftly changed while 32-year-old Conor Bugbee and his family were on vacation at Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe. One by one, he claimed, boats began to crash into the shore after breaking free from their moorings.
He claimed that a pontoon boat reached the shore with a dead motor and no life jackets visible, so he acted quickly to ensure the terrified passengers safely disembarked.
According to Bugbee, a Sacramento resident, “it was really unsettling; you were outside tanning in the sun and then all of a sudden you could see your breath.” He referred to it as a freak storm because it was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
Although Wallace wasn’t on the lake on Saturday, she was outside close by and claimed the weather change was unlike anything she had seen in the thirty years she has lived there.
According to Wallace, it must be the most insane Sierra storm to ever hit this area. It was extremely chaotic and violent, and suddenly it vanished.
By Saturday night, the waters were quiet and the heavens were once again blue. However, the harm was extensive.
Wallace stated that as of Monday, city workers were still attempting to address the trash and sand loss, but the majority of boats had been pulled off beaches, retired, or brought in for repairs. The eight boater deaths were still difficult for the community to comprehend.
Cefalu stated that increased awareness of safety measures, planning, and education must be the only lesson learned at this time.
“The weather is very unpredictable because we’re stuck in the middle of the Sierra Nevada,” he remarked. Recreational and even professional boaters should understand that when whitecaps appear quickly, it’s time to put on your life jacket and leave the water.
Wallace advised anyone who wants to venture out on the water while visiting Tahoe, including those who have a lot of boating experience, to hire an experienced captain.
She remarked, “Our lake is just different.” In situations like the one that occurred on Saturday, it is anything from serene and breathtakingly beautiful.
