Big late-season Sierra dump
A late storm dropped about 3.5 feet of snow across parts of the Tahoe/Truckee area, reversing a dry March and quickly improving Sierra spring snow conditions. (tahoedailytribune.com) That sudden boost changes short-term planning for Pacific Crest Trail sections through the high Sierra because deep, fresh snow can linger into the season. (tahoedailytribune.com)
A weekend Sierra storm dropped roughly 3.5 feet of snow at higher elevations around Tahoe and Truckee, abruptly changing spring conditions in mid-April. (tahoedailytribune.com) Palisades Tahoe and Kirkwood Mountain Resort each reported about 3.5 feet of new snow after the storm that hit Sunday, April 12. OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto said April snowfall had reached about 70 inches so far, the snowiest April there since 2022. (tahoedailytribune.com) The National Weather Service kept a winter storm warning in effect for the Greater Lake Tahoe Area until 11 p.m. on Sunday, with another 3 to 8 inches forecast for lake-level communities and 8 to 12 inches above 7,000 feet. The warning also called for Sierra crest wind gusts as high as 60 miles per hour. (weather.gov) The timing stood out because California water officials had reported no measurable snow on April 1 at Phillips Station, and said the statewide snowpack had fallen to 18 percent of average after a record-hot March. The Department of Water Resources said the April 1 reading was the second-lowest on record there. (water.ca.gov) That means a dry-looking start to April in the Sierra no longer matches what hikers and skiers will find on the ground this week. Fresh April snow can cover trail tread, bury footprints, and reload steep slopes even after a low-snow winter. (pcta.org) For Pacific Crest Trail hikers, the issue is not just how much snow fell but when it fell. The Pacific Crest Trail Association says winter snow usually buries much of the trail into early July, and that most hikers looking for normal dry-trail conditions wait until the snow has melted. (pcta.org) The association also says May and June are generally too early for normal backpacking conditions at high elevations, and that snow can turn a summer-style trail trip into something closer to mountaineering. It advises hikers to check current forecasts and local conditions rather than rely on seasonal averages. (pcta.org) So the late storm did two things at once in the Sierra: it revived lift-served skiing around Tahoe and reset short-term planning for early-season travel in the high country. In a range where March had nearly erased the snowpack, April put winter back on the map. (tahoedailytribune.com)
