Sierra gets a late dump
A late spring storm dropped about 3.5 feet of snow across parts of the Sierra Nevada on Sunday, quickly reversing pockets of March dryness. (tahoedailytribune.com) Mammoth Mountain reported more than two feet of fresh snow over three days from back‑to‑back storms, enough to extend the resort’s season. (cbs8.com)
A weekend storm buried parts of the Sierra Nevada in late-season snow, with some Tahoe-area resorts reporting about 3.5 feet by Sunday. (tahoedailytribune.com) Palisades Tahoe and Kirkwood Mountain Resort each reported roughly 3.5 feet of new snow at higher elevations, and OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto said April snowfall in Tahoe had climbed to about 70 inches so far. The Tahoe Daily Tribune reported the season total at about 348 inches, or 88% of the seasonal average for this point in the year. (tahoedailytribune.com) Farther south, Mammoth Mountain said back-to-back storms dropped 25 inches in three days, enough for the resort to extend operations. Mammoth says its ski season typically runs from November into June, and its current spring schedule shifts all lift access to Main Lodge starting April 20, 2026. (cbs8.com) (mammothmountain.com 1) (mammothmountain.com 2) The timing stood out because California had just logged one of its weakest snowpack readings for early April. The California Department of Water Resources said on April 1, 2026 that Phillips Station had no measurable snow, and statewide snowpack was 16% of the April 1 average as of April 7. (water.ca.gov) (snow.water.ca.gov) That made this storm a short-term boost, not a full recovery. State data showed the Northern Sierra at 5% of the April 1 average, the Central Sierra at 19%, and the Southern Sierra at 27% on April 7, after a record-hot March melted much of the season’s earlier snow. (snow.water.ca.gov) (water.ca.gov) The storm also disrupted travel over Donner Pass. Caltrans reported chain controls on Interstate 80 on Sunday, April 12, from near Gold Run to the Nevada state line, after whiteout conditions forced temporary traffic holds and closures. (roads.dot.ca.gov) (sfgate.com) National Weather Service forecasts had warned the Sierra could pick up several more feet, with heavy mountain snow continuing into Sunday night. By Monday, the Reno forecast office said the storm had delivered heavy Sierra snow while rain and gusty winds hit lower elevations. (weather.gov) (usatoday.com) For skiers, the late dump turned a thin April into powder days and a longer season. For water managers, it landed after the state’s key April 1 benchmark had already slipped near record lows. (tahoedailytribune.com) (water.ca.gov)
