The end of the month arrives Sunday and what a month it’s been for snow totals.
According to some area weather forecasters, many Tahoe ski resorts could receive between 12-18 inches of snow in the next three days when the snow is expected to subside Sunday (March 31).
March snowstorms have had a great impact on the Sierra snowpack, pushing it to just about average and allowing many Tahoe ski resorts to push back their closing dates by a week or two.
SEE TAHOE SNOW REPORT, SEASON SNOW TOTALS BELOW
The 2022-23 ski season ended with the Central Sierra snowpack measuring a whopping 192 percent of normal. The incredible amount of snow led to many Tahoe ski resorts establishing new highs for snow totals.
Despite a horrible start to this season when almost every Tahoe ski resort had a foot or less snow at the end of December, 2023-24 has hardly been a bust for snow totals. As of Friday (March 29), the Central Sierra snow total is 99% and by Monday that total will likely rise.
SEASON SNOW TOTALS: Nine Tahoe ski resorts are reporting 300 or more inches of snow this year at their summit.
It’s been a huge month of March for Palisades Tahoe. Located in Olympic Valley, the resort has received roughly 12 feet this month heading into the weekend. That brings the resort’s season total to nearly 31 feet (367 inches) for the season to date, which is just over 92% of its average annual snowfall – typically 400 inches.
Sugar Bowl continues to be the far and away leader in snow totals for the season. Situated atop the Donner Summit off Interstate 80, Sugar Bowl has received 444 inches of snow at its summit.
Boreal has gotten consistent snowfall the past three months as its snow total has grown to 386 inches. Nearby Soda Spring is reporting 362 inches, followed by Mt. Rose (350), Kirkwood (335) and Homewood (327).
THURSDAY’S SNOW TOTALS: It snowed steadily Wednesday (March 27) and the next day’s totals were solid for most Tahoe ski resorts.
Boreal Mountain reported the most snow, getting a foot of the fresh powder at its summit. Both Mt. Rose and Soda Springs had 10 inches of snow, Sugar Bowl reported 9 inches, while Kirkwood and Palisades Tahoe both got 8 inches.
WEATHER FORECAST: Anticipate snow showers over the Sierra throughout Friday. According to Bryan Allegretto of OpenSnow.com, steadier snow is expected Friday night and turning more showery Saturday into Sunday.
If the hope was a bluebird weekend and a sun-drenched Easter Sunday, forget that notion – it’s not happening. Allegretto predicts the high temperatures in the 30s through the weekend.
The good news is the storm shouldn’t be accompanied by consistent strong winds, even though at times it could be gusting at ridgetops up to 30-40 mph. Allegretto says expect around 50-60% of the weekend snow to fall by Saturday morning.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT, SEASON TOTALS (March 29)
- Sugar Bowl: 9 inches (444 inches)
- Boreal: 12 inches (386 inches)
- Palisades Tahoe: 8 inches (369 inches)
- Soda Springs: 10 inches (362 inches)
- Mt. Rose: 10 inches (350 inches)
- Kirkwood: 8 inches (335 inches)
- Homewood: 10 inches (327 inches)
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 8 inches (315 inches)
- Northstar: 5 inches (312 inches)
- Heavenly: 5 inches (210 inches)
- Diamond Peak: 2 inches (193 inches)
- Tahoe Donner: 6 inches (NA)
