It was a week of wild weather for California, with plenty of rain in the lower elevations and heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada. Fresno, Madera, and Merced all picked up over 2″ of rain since the storm began on Monday. San Francisco saw almost 3.5″, while multiple locations on the Big Sur coastline reported 8″ to 10″!
Snow fell at low elevations in the Sierra Nevada, with Mariposa, Oakhurst, and Bass Lake all reporting their first significant snow of the season. But it was the HEAVY snow in the high Sierra that was the huge problem. The blizzard was so bad on Tuesday that Interstate 80 over Donner Summit, Highway 50 over Echo Summit, Highway 88 over Carson Pass, and Highway 395 near Mammoth Lakes all had to be shut down, due to dangerous driving conditions. They all have since re-opened.
Snow totals were incredible. Some four day storm totals include 60″ -72″ (or, 5′ to 6′) at China Peak ski resort, 82″ at Dodge Ridge (north east of Modesto), 97″ at Bear Valley (east of Stockton), 92″ at Kirkwood (east of Sacramento), and 91″ at Sierra-at-Tahoe (also east of Sacramento). But totals at the 7200′ Donner Summit were even more impressive: 97″ at Soda Springs, 105″ at Sugar Bowl ski resort, and 111″ at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. That 111″ at the Snow Lab is a 5 day total, and is their 3rd highest 5 day total since 1970.
So, a LOT of snow fell this week near Donner Summit… which follows about 6 weeks of absolutely NOTHING. We had a nice snowpack developing by early January, but then the jet stream shifted north, and everything changed. The Valley was socked in with THICK fog, but in the mountains… it was nice. Very nice. And warm. So that snow settled, compacted, maybe melted a little then re-froze at night, over and over again for 6 weeks.
So, when all of this light, fresh snow fell this week on top of that old, compact, slippery, and just cranky snow, they didn’t mix very well at all. Instead, they formed 2 different layers. And, since there was a LOT of new snow on top, it had some weight, and was just ready to slide off of steep mountainsides. Which it has been doing recently… there have been numerous avalanches in the Sierra, most in remote areas. That’s the reason that Yosemite was closed for a few days… to let the snow settle. The middle and upper parts of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks will remain shut down through this weekend, as snow continues to settle up there as well.
Skiing at China Peak should be epic this weekend! Be sure to check road conditions before you go, and bring chains, as Highway 168 is still very slippery in spots. That goes for anyplace in the foothills that picked up snow this week, and saw some of it melt on Friday… with these cold nighttime temperatures, that will re-freeze at night, and create very slippery Black Ice. Be careful of that for the next few days, especially in shady spots, where the ice may linger into the afternoon.