But not as much as hoped
Sierra ski resorts may be rejoicing after a weekend storm dropped up to five feet of snow on top of the mountains and near-record rainfall to Lake Tahoe. But officials said the Central Valley and southern Sierra Nevada range didn’t receive as much precipitation as expected.
“We’ve been prepared because we have some of the West Coast’s biggest snow-making systems, but it’s wonderful timing to get this helping hand from Mother Nature,” Rachel Woods, spokeswoman for Northstar California Resort near Truckee, told The Associated Press on Monday. “You can see the excitement in guests’ eyes with the natural snowfall — skiers and boarders with ear-to-ear grins.”
The snowfall at Lake Tahoe was so heavy, AP reported, that avalanche concerns Sunday forced some resorts to close. These included Squaw Valley, where more than five feet fell on the upper part of the mountain, and caused delays at others, including Heavenly and Kirkwood.
In Madera, 0.28 inches of rainfall fell in a 72-hour period over the weekend. While appreciated, forecasters had anticipated more. Jim Andersen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford said much of the southern Sierra Nevadas received around four to seven inches of snowfall — less than the several feet experts predicted...