The Coast Guard said a gold Chris-Craft boat capsized due to a large swell around 3 p.m. near D.L. Bliss State Park.
Six adults died, two people were rescued and taken to the hospital and two others are missing, officials said.
ALERTCalifornia cameras captured blue skies for most of the day before a storm system moved through the area around 3 p.m., dropping snow in the area before blue skies returned about an hour later.
CBS Sacramento's First Alert Weather team tracked 40-45 mph winds in the area as a patch of moisture moved south over Lake Tahoe.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, California State Parks, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and others are assisting in the incident.
The sheriff's office said the search operations will resume Sunday morning.
D.L. Bliss State Park is about 10 miles northwest of South Lake Tahoe and just north of Emerald Bay.