A decent amount of snow finally fell overnight Tuesday at Tahoe ski resorts. And to sum up the slow start to the ski season – it’s about time!
The powerful storm brought heavy snow to the higher elevations of the Sierra mountain range. It wasn’t a typical Lake Tahoe snow dump, but it’s one that will make nervous ski resort operators happy for the time being. And they might not have to wait too long for another dump. A sizeable storm is predicted again this weekend.
SEE TAHOE SNOW REPORT BELOW
The storm is the first in more than a month to bring snowfall measured in the double digits to area resorts, reported local forecaster Bryan Alegretto of OpenSnow.com.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sacramento said snow fell over the Sierra above 4,000 feet overnight, which brought dangerous travel conditions. The NWS said 10-14 inches of snow fell, with 2 feet being recorded in the highest peaks.
“Mother Nature is making up for lost time with 10 inches of fresh powder overnight,” said a blog on the Sugar Bowl website. “While we still have a way to go before our trust with the forecast is fully repaired, this is certainly a stride in the right direction.”
Sierra-at-Tahoe received the most snow among Tahoe ski resorts, getting 13 inches at its summit, leading to this message in an email.
“2024 is off to a POWDERful start with an estimated 13 inches in just the last 12 hours, and it’s still falling (this morning),” Sierra reported. “To top it off, the storm came in cold, leaving us with light and dry powder this morning. Mother Nature decided to kick the New Year into high gear with back-to-back storms forecasted through the week into the weekend.”
Kirkwood was just shy of a foot of new snow, getting 11 inches. Both Boreal Mountain and Sugar Bowl reported 10 inches of fresh snow.
DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS: So much snow was falling in the higher elevations overnight into early Wednesday morning (Jan. 3) that officials needed to close major highways for both snow removal and avalanche control. According to Caltrans District 3, Interstate 80 was closed for about an hour because of heavy snow that led to multiple spinouts.
Caltrans said I-80 was closed westbound at Stateline and Truckee, and eastbound lanes were closed at Alta and Applegate (near Colfax). The highway was reopened about an hour later, but chains are required on all vehicles except four-wheel-drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels from Truckee, California, to the Nevada state line.
DODGE RIDGE OPENING: The much-needed snow Wednesday morning meant more to Dodge Ridge than perhaps any resort in California. Dodge Ridge received 12 inches of snow at its summit, which was enough to have the resort announcing its season-opener Friday (Jan. 6).
Dodge Ridge is located in the Central Sierra Mountain range off Highway 108 in Pinecrest (30 miles from Sonora).
Two other central valley ski resorts also were reporting high snow totals from the storm. Both Bear Valley and China Peak are reporting 10-14 inches of snow Wednesday morning.
DRY START TO SEASON: According to data collected by the Central Sierra Snow Lab, the October-December 2023 timeframe is tied for the fourth driest early season since at least 1970. The lab made the measurements Tuesday morning (Jan. 2) and says 31.7 inches of snow fell during the recent three-month period, which is 27% of the 53-year average for October thru December.
The average snow-water equivalent statewide was reported at 2½ inches of water, down from 17½ inches at the same time in 2023. That’s 185% of the average for that time of year, according to officials. The meager start to the snow year comes on the heels of one of California’s largest snowpacks ever measured after a series of storms brought statewide levels to 237% of normal statewide in April 2023.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (Jan. 3)
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 13 inches
- Kirkwood: 11 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 10 inches
- Boreal: 10 inches
- Palisades Tahoe: 8 inches
- Soda Springs: 8 inches
- Mt. Rose: 6 inches
- Homewood: 6 inches
- Tahoe Donner: 6 inches
- Northstar: 5 inches
- Diamond Peak: 4 inches
- Heavenly: 3 inches
- Granlibakken: TBA
