CALIFORNIA, USA — High winds are temporarily putting a stop to weekend skiing.
Two ski resorts have closed for the day, citing high winds.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort said all their chairs are closed for the day due to the winds. Kirkwood saw winds peak around 209 mph after a High Wind Warning went out.
Kirkwood's 209 mph gust was recorded atop a California peak, a potential record that wowed forecasters monitoring a cold storm moving south through the state. However, according National Weather Service Sacramento, the 209 mph gust seems less likely due to multiple errors that the station seems to have.
The blast of wind was captured by an instrument on Kirkwood Mountain south of Lake Tahoe.
The National Weather Service it could take months for state climatologists to verify the record. The previous record was a gust of 199 mph at Ward Mountain west of Lake Tahoe in 2017.
Sierra-at-Tahoe closed for the day as well, also citing high winds.
The ski resorts aren't the only places feeling winds today. Here's a look at some of the highest wind gusts since midnight:
- Kirkwood (9,186' elevation) - 209 mph
- Travis AFB - 52 mph
- Stockton - 43 mph
- Sacramento - 38 mph
- El Dorado Hills - 31 mph
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