The latest huge snowfall to hit Mammoth Mountain ski area in California has taken the Californian's ski resort's total snowfall to date this winter past the total it reached for all of last winter.
"The storm has arrived and it's absolutely dumping this morning. With 14-18" of snow overnight, our season snowfall total at Main Lodge is now 270" (686cm) – officially surpassing last season's total snowfall number. We've received 23 feet (over 7 metres) of snow at Main this season and well over 30 feet (over 9 metres) at the Summit," a resort statement today explained.
The storm is the latest in an ever-growing succession of Pacific fronts to hit the resort and wider North American West Coast for over two months now. It's very different to last season when, with the exception of some huge snowfalls between Christmas and new year, and then in mid-spring when many areas had already closed, conditions were generally dry.
"The latest forecast is calling for even more snow than initially expected today – we'll see intense snowfall, increasing winds and blizzard conditions through the end of day Tuesday. Avalanche danger is very high at this time and patrol will continue to utilize avalanche closures and conduct mitigation work throughout the storm cycle. Travel across the area will be impacted due to weather, and lift operations will be limited to the lower mountain," Mammoth's statement continues.
The resort has the deepest snow of any resort in the world with 493cm (over 16 feet) at the top and 355cm (12 feet) at the base.