After more than a week of unseasonably warm weather, winter returned with a vengeance to the Lake Tahoe region, dumping up to 2½ feet of fresh snow Wednesday night and continuing into today.
The weather had turned rather balmy for February, climbing into the upper 50s with regularity and making skiers and snowboarders wonder what happened to El Nino. But the fears of no more snow subsided with the latest hard-hitting storm that dumped 2 feet of snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe and 30 inches at Northstar California.
As of Feb. 2 Sierra snowpack was at 130 percent of the February average. On average, California’s statewide snowpack is 114 percent of normal for this time of year.
“The storms continue to make positive impacts with both water content and the economy,” said Carol Chaplin, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.
Not all the news was good. Alpine Meadows had three avalanches occur at approximately 7 a.m. this morning. Although no injuries were reported, the resort closed for the day. Neighboring resort Squaw Valley closed its upper mountain due to possible avalanche danger and only operated some of its lower lifts.
Here’s a look at how some of Lake Tahoe ski resorts fared.
Mt. Rose: A significant winter storm stacked up nearly 2 feet of fresh snow in less than 24 hours.
“Mt. Rose has already received more than 25 feet of snow this season, and we still have much of the season to go,” said Mike Pierce, director of marketing at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. “Our Spring Passes will allow resort guests to enjoy the remainder of this season and all of the 2016-17 winter season by purchasing their pass now.”
Northstar: Mother Nature graced the slopes with an additional 9 inches throughout today, bringing the resort’s 24-hour storm total to 30 inches.
Heavenly: After receiving 24 inches of snow in the latest storm, to date Heavenly has a season total of 287 inches.
Diamond Peak: The resort at Incline Village picked up 12-16 inches of fresh snow overnight with another 2-4 inches this morning. Due to the powder day, Diamond Peak opened the Lakeview Quad early, allowing die-hard powderhounds early access to the fresh snow.
Sugar Bowl: The resort off Interstate 80 at Norden received 27 inches of new snow at the summit, and all 13 lifts were spinning.
Homewood: In less than 24 hours, 18 inches of new snow stacked up at Homewood Mountain Resort. Thanks to the resort’s wind protected slopes, skiers and riders enjoyed one of the best powder days of the season. The resort is reporting snow base depths ranging from 6-9 feet, and there’s still plenty of winter ahead!
