Mar 15, 2023 3 min read

Thanks to William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar, we’re aware of what the ides of March can bring. As a meteorologist, I regard mid-March as gloomy, often wet or white and frequently chilly.

Spring is just around the corner and officially arrives on Monday. A few weeks ago, I wrote about our record “least snowy” February where Pittsburgh recorded a mere 0.2″ of snow the entire month. March was off to a similar start with only 0.1″ of snow recorded as of Monday. That brings our season snow total to only 14.6 inches, which is 25 inches below normal!

Last year on March 12, eight inches of snow fell in Pittsburgh, setting a record for that date. Though we enjoyed three 70-degree days in February, that serves as a reminder that March can be cold and snowy. We just marked the 30th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1993 when Pittsburgh recorded 25.3 inches of snow between March 12 and 14 that year. A whopping 23.6 inches of that fell in one day (March 13), which still stands as the largest one-day snowfall record in Pittsburgh.

I try to take ski trip out west most years. When Vail Resorts bought Seven Springs last year, I rejoiced knowing I could now use my season pass at resorts across the country. I’d always wanted to ski at Lake Tahoe, so this was my chance. My non-skier husband was also excited since he had only previously been to Lake Tahoe in summer weather. Let’s go in March, I thought, for some sunshine and spring skiing.

I was thrilled when snow started piling up in the Sierras in early November. The holidays brought a respite, but the past month saw more storms pounding the west coast again. Those poor folks can’t catch a break.

Despite epic amounts of snow and rain, I’m happy to report the skiing was fantastic and our travel uneventful. We went from the land of no snow this season (here) to the land of all of the snow in Lake Tahoe. Snow pummeled the region up until the day we arrived. Somehow, we flew into Reno and drove across the mountain pass to Tahoe under clear skies and light wind. I skied powdery slopes under sunshine the next day. The day after that, the skies opened up and snow poured down again – three feet of the white stuff! The snowplow piles roadside towered up to 15 to 20 feet with three to six feet towering on rooftops.

I managed to ski five days at Heavenly Resort and we scooted out after more snow and just before a deluge of rain. The resorts actually closed several days because of too much snow and avalanche danger.

As of March 8, Lake Tahoe, Calif., recorded 603 inches of snow since Oct. 1. That’s 50 feet of snow in less than six months and ranks as their fifth snowiest winter on record.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.