Late storm restores Sierra snow

A late storm dropped roughly 3.5 feet of snow at the highest Tahoe-area resorts and more than two feet at Mammoth Mountain in mid-April. (tahoedailytribune.com) (cbs8.com) Tahoe Daily Tribune reported April 13 that Palisades Tahoe and Kirkwood Mountain Resort each measured about 3.5 feet of new snow at higher elevations. OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto told the paper April snowfall had reached about 70 inches, making it the snowiest April there since 2022. (tahoedailytribune.com) CBS 8 reported April 14 that Mammoth Mountain picked up more than two feet of fresh snow over three days. The resort said it would stay open for skiing and riding through at least Memorial Day. (cbs8.com) (mammothmountain.com) The timing matters because California’s snowpack had collapsed after an unusually hot, dry March. On April 2, the California Department of Water Resources found no measurable snow at Phillips Station during its key April survey. (water.ca.gov) State data showed the snowpack was only 16% of the April 1 average statewide on April 7, with the northern Sierra at 5%, the central Sierra at 19%, and the southern Sierra at 27%. That helps explain why a single cold storm could quickly change ski conditions without ending California’s broader water shortfall. (water.ca.gov) The National Weather Service office in Reno said on April 11 that colder air would bring rain and mountain snow to the Sierra through April 13, with winter travel impacts and gusty winds. Forecasts for Truckee on April 14 still showed more snow showers possible as snow levels fell overnight. (weather.gov 1) (weather.gov 2) At Palisades Tahoe, the resort’s mountain report on April 14 listed 14 inches in the previous 24 hours and warned of heavy snow and high winds affecting operations. The same report said thin coverage had already closed the Mountain Run to the base area. (palisadestahoe.com) At Mammoth, the mountain report said 19 lifts were scheduled to run on April 13, while several chairs had already ended for the season. The resort’s “Second Season” page said spring operations would continue through at least Memorial Day if conditions allow. (mammothmountain.com 1) (mammothmountain.com 2) So the late storm did two things at once: it rebuilt surface conditions for skiers around Tahoe and Mammoth, and it landed after California’s main snowpack benchmark had already fallen far below normal. More snow was still in the forecast for parts of the Sierra as of April 14. (tahoedailytribune.com) (weather.gov)