Ironic Snowfall in Caifornia

Can snow be ironic? Probably not but it's hard to describe the two feet of snow that has fallen in the past few days on ski slopes in California with any other term.

Most of the state's ski areas gave up battling to stay open by late March after the fourth, and most agree the worst yet winter drought with very little natural snowfall all season, and temperatures often too warm for snow on the rare occasions precipitation did make it up to the mountains.

The few ski areas that are still operational for winter 2014-15 in the golden state - most notably Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley - both famed for staying open to late spring and occasionally early summer in a 'normal' year, are wildly celebrating of course.

Temperatures remain below zero and the snowfall is currently ongoing. Vail's three Californian resorts, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood are also reported to be open, along with Bear Valley and Boreal. Kirkwood has reported the biggest fall to date with 61cm so far.

Might be too late at Sierra who said yesterday:

Storm Update: It's been coming down here at the mountain! Is it enough to open? Probably not, here's why...
- Prior to this storm, we had lost just about all the snow connecting the trails to the Grandview, Nob Hill, and Broadway lifts. What you're seeing here is a few inches of pow sitting on nothing but bare ground.
- In order to open we are going to need a sizable amount of snow in order to groom it down to a solid base so we can connect trails to the lifts / base. Pretend it's opening weekend all over again, we need a base!
- Is there a magic number needed to reopen? No. While we wish it were that simple, our mountain operations and patrol staff need to determine what it will take in order to open back up with a safe and enjoyable surface.
- If we get enough snow will we make every effort to reopen? You bet.
We'll be watching the storm with our fingers crossed and will keep you updated if any situations change up here at Sierra. C'mon, Mother Nature - hook it up!