Late storms boost Sierra snow
Back‑to‑back spring storms dumped more than two feet at Mammoth Mountain over the past three days and extended its ski season, while Tahoe/Truckee recorded about 3.5 feet that quickly erased March’s dry spell. (cbs8.com) (tahoedailytribune.com)
A pair of April storms reloaded the Sierra with fresh snow, pushing Mammoth Mountain to keep skiing open at least through Memorial Day. (cbs8.com) Mammoth said more than two feet fell over the past three days, and the broader eastern Sierra picked up more than 3.5 feet from the weekend system. The National Weather Service in Reno said heavy mountain snow was still affecting the Sierra on Sunday and Monday. (cbs8.com) (weather.gov) In Tahoe and Truckee, Palisades Tahoe and Kirkwood Mountain Resort each reported about 3.5 feet of new snow. Tahoe Daily Tribune reported April snowfall there has reached about 70 inches so far, the most for April since 2022. (tahoedailytribune.com) California’s snowpack works like a mountain reservoir: winter snow stores water, then melts into rivers and reservoirs through spring and summer. On April 1, the statewide snowpack was just 16% of average, and the Department of Water Resources said its Phillips Station survey found no measurable snow after a record-hot March. (water.ca.gov 1) (water.ca.gov 2) That context helps explain why a late storm can change resort operations without fixing the state’s water picture. Tahoe Daily Tribune said the new snow lifted the Tahoe season total to about 348 inches, still about 88% of the seasonal average for this point in April. (tahoedailytribune.com) Mammoth is built for long seasons even in lean years. The resort says it averages about 400 inches of snowfall, has California’s highest ski-area summit at 11,053 feet, and typically runs from November into June. (mammothmountain.com) The storm also hit travel. Associated Press reports Interstate 80 briefly closed in Northern California during the weekend weather, one of the clearest signs that the system was strong enough to bring winter conditions back to mid-April. (usnews.com) Mammoth’s own spring playbook now shifts toward its “Second Season,” with earlier lift hours in late April or early May to catch firmer morning snow. For skiers, the Sierra went from a near-bare April survey to powder photos in less than two weeks. (mammothmountain.com) (water.ca.gov)
