An unbelievable amount of snow dumped by a series of winter storms hitting Northern and Central California since Feb. 1 prompted at least a few ski resorts to close their facilities.
“Heavy snowfall picked up again last night (Feb. 4) dropping another 21” at Main Lodge and over 36“ at the summit bringing our current storm total to about 7-10 feet,” a statement on the resort’s website reads.
The blizzard caused the resort to close its main lodge and upgrade the town’s chain controls to R3, which requires all vehicles to be chained.
“Snow is extremely deep, be safe and do not ride alone,” the statement continued.
“We’re absolutely buried and will remain closed for today, Tuesday February 5th,” said June Mountain on its website. “Since Saturday, we have received over 10ft at the snow plot. Lift, Patrol, Cat, Maintenance, and Snow Removal Crews are hard at work making sure we’re ready for tomorrow.”
California’s two recent storms, which have been named Kai and Lucian, started around Feb. 1 and have produced 5 to 6 feet of new snow over the past 5 days.
“Snow even fell over the West Hills and around the Grapevine and in Tehachapi. National Snow Analysis Center imagery showed that much of the Sierra Nevada now has snow depths of over 100 inches,” according to NOAA.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort, a ski area near Lake Tahoe, is also among those affected by the storms.
One tweet from Heavenly Ski Resort, which is near the south shore of Lake Tahoe, showed that half of its ski lift was buried by the snow.
“36” in 24 hours, 20 overnight, and well OVER SIX FEET for the storm,” the resort’s twitter account said on Feb. 5.
The heavy snowfall also triggered an avalanche warning covering the greater Lake Tahoe area and the Eastern Sierra in Mono County, according to the National Weather Service.
California’s snow is expected to end by Tuesday night; however, closures of resorts and roads might last longer. Authorities recommend that travelers check weather and road information before taking any trips.
