Winter's Final Storm Buries Tahoe Under Several Feet Of Snow
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- With the clock ticking down on Winter, Mother Nature delivered a final blast over the weekend that left the Tahoe ski resorts buried under several feet of snow.
After a bone dry February, March roared into the Sierra, dumping more than 150 inches of snow. Sierra-At-Tahoe received more than 8 feet of snow over the last eight days while Bear Valley had seen 136" of snow in March giving the Miracle March of 91' a run for its money.
Sierra Nevada SWE as of 2018-3-17: 8.06 km^3. This is 50.3% of normal for this date. #Snow #California #Water #Drought pic.twitter.com/R1h7heBCum
— Sierra Nevada Snow Bot (@snowbot_SN) March 17, 2018
The 10.3 inches (26 centimeters) recorded at Reno-Tahoe International Airport into Saturday pushed the monthly snow total to 18.3 inches — the fourth-most in the last 100 years, meteorologist Evan LaGuardia said.
The total fell short of the 29 inches in March 1952 that set the record for the month. But still the week of storms has dumped some impressive totals.
SNOW is really starting to pile up in the Sierra! These measurements are from one of our most trusted observers in Tahoe City.
— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) March 17, 2018
With this much snow, keep in mind the potential for deep snow hazards, including tree wells and snow avalanching off of roofs, or Rooflanches! pic.twitter.com/VS91rDKB02
The storm system, Reno-based climatologist Dan McEvoy tweeted, was a "picture perfect Tahoe snow machine."
Dreams of skiing in thigh-high powder sent Bay Area skiers flocking to the Sierra. But they found the routes to the resorts packed with traffic and blocked by drifts and mounds of snow.
Chain were required and spinouts littered I-80 and Highway 50 on Saturday.
"We've been here (stuck in traffic) for about an hour," said Jenna Pena of Vacaville as she sat in her car on I-80. "I just want to snow board a little."
With rain and snow in the forecast until Tuesday -- the first day of Spring -- it appears last week's storms will be Winter's final blast. But forecasters said it appears Spring will have a wet and snowy start.