A powerful wind storm that shut down a popular Lake Tahoe-area ski resort on Sunday may have broken and set a new wind speed record. According to the National Weather Service, gusts of 209 miles-per-hour were measured at Kirkwood Mountain Resort on Sunday, prompting the closure of the ski resort.
Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley also shut down some of their ski lifts for safety.
High winds weren't the only threat in Lake Tahoe on Sunday. The wind made the freshwater lake look more like an ocean as big waves were reported crashing on the docks at Homewood in North Lake Tahoo. A tweet from the weather service urged people to keep their distance from the lake during the windstorm.
Winds are expected to continue in the area, but no more records are expected to be set.
The previous windspeed record was a gust of 199 mph at Ward Mountain west of Lake Tahoe set on Nove. 16, 2017.
It will take a few months to determine if the wind record was indeed broken.
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