The final victim of the Lake Tahoe boating accident, which occurred during a severe and unexpected weekend thunderstorm, was recovered on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to eight.

A gold, 27-foot Chris-Craft vessel carrying ten individuals capsized near D.L. Bliss State Park on Lake Tahoe's southwestern shore Saturday afternoon, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials, as a sudden storm generated substantial waves.

Two people were immediately rescued and taken to a hospital, though their condition was not known. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reported that six bodies were found later on Saturday, and a seventh was discovered on Sunday evening. Divers then searched a part of Lake Tahoe and located the last body on Monday afternoon.

Sergeant Kyle Parker stated that the identities of the deceased would remain confidential until their relatives had been duly informed.

While there have been some accidental drownings and other deaths on the lake recently, serious boating accidents with many casualties are uncommon. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department told KCRA-TV in 2022 that there are usually six deaths on the lake each summer, although 2021 saw a record high of fifteen deaths, and the department was unable to provide more current figures right away.

The thunderstorm's intensity surprised even forecasters. They had expected some rain, but not the strong storm that hit the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba from the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds reached over 56 kph, and waves grew to more than 2.5 meters.

"Chyba admitted that the intensity had surpassed their expectations."

He mentioned that the temperatures in the area were much colder than usual for this time of year, which might have made the air unstable.

Chyba characterized the eight-foot waves on Lake Tahoe as "pretty significant," adding that "they were really churning up the lake."

Lake Tahoe is a very popular place for summer activities like boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding. This clear lake has very cold water and is located on the border of California and Nevada. It is one of the deepest lakes in the country, with only Oregon's Crater Lake being deeper.

Officials have not yet provided any information about the group on the boat that overturned, nor have they stated if the boat was rented or privately owned.

The storm that struck on Saturday dissipated in approximately two hours.

Brittany Glick stated on Monday that her Saturday celebration of a friend's bachelorette party on a rented pontoon boat with seven others quickly worsened. Initially sunny, the weather turned as the wind grew stronger, creating larger waves. The temperature also dropped suddenly, and visibility became almost nonexistent, making conditions dangerous.

She said the experience was like being in the early stages of a tsunami, stating that she had never encountered anything similar before.

After about an hour of navigating through increasingly rough waters, which completely soaked the passengers, the boat returned to the dock just as it started to hail.

Glick described the unsettling sight of overturned boats, stating, "The extremely cold water made us shiver uncontrollably. Our hands and feet became numb, and our toes started turning blue. It was definitely one of the most frightening experiences I've had in thirty years. The storm began very suddenly and was completely terrifying."

KCRA-TV obtained video footage depicting moored vessels colliding at a nearby marina, buffeted by powerful gusts of wind.