Mammoth and Tahoe get dumped

Back-to-back April storms dropped more than two feet of fresh snow on Mammoth Mountain and pushed the resort to keep skiing open at least through Memorial Day. (cbs8.com) CBS 8 reported Mammoth picked up more than 25 inches in three days, while Mammoth’s own mountain report listed a 38-inch base depth and 253 inches for the season. (cbs8.com, mammothmountain.com) In Tahoe and Truckee, higher elevations at Palisades Tahoe and Kirkwood reported about 3.5 feet of new snow, according to Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun. (tahoedailytribune.com, sierrasun.com) The burst came after a warm, dry March that melted much of California’s snow and pushed some ski areas toward spring shutdowns. The Associated Press reported the turnaround arrived just weeks after a March heat wave, and Sierra Sun said the new storm quickly erased March’s dry spell. (timesofsandiego.com, sierrasun.com) That late-season snow matters beyond lift lines. The Associated Press reported California’s Sierra snowpack stood at 18 percent of average on April 1, and the Sierra supplies about one-third of the state’s water. (halifax.citynews.ca) The storm also hit travel. The Associated Press said Interstate 80 near the Nevada line closed briefly on Sunday, and local forecasts ahead of the storm warned of 12 to 28 inches above 7,000 feet around Tahoe passes. (clickondetroit.com, recordcourier.com) Mammoth’s extension fits the mountain’s usual pattern when spring storms reload the upper slopes. The resort says its season typically runs from November into June, and its current spring operations plan shifts all lift access to Main Lodge after April 19. (mammothmountain.com, mammothmountain.com) For skiers who thought winter was over, April had other ideas. Mammoth is still spinning lifts, and Tahoe picked up one of its snowiest April stretches since 2022. (mammothmountain.com, sierrasun.com)