CALIFORNIA, USA — With high winds blowing across the Sierra late Tuesday afternoon, at times it was difficult to determine whether the snow was falling from the sky or blowing up from the slopes and rooftops of nearby buildings at Boreal Ski Resort in Soda Springs.
However, the afternoon brought mostly rain and ice to the slopes.
"Oh, I've been eating crap all day. Hitting my head on the ice," said Matthew Ringey, a snowboarder from Roseville, who called his decision to hit the slopes on Tuesday a "mistake."
With two large winter storms heading into Northern California bringing heavy precipitation, the California Department of Water Resources says the state is on track for an average water year so far.
"I've kind of laughed because a lot of people are thinking, 'Hey, yeah, this is a lot of rain so far.' Actually, we're right near an average water year to date," said Sean de Guzman, who manages the department's snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit.
ABC10 asked the DWR whether the rainfall could cause the snowpack to melt.
"You will get a slight bit of melt, you may see a bigger uptick in rises in the rivers and creeks in screen. But for the most part, our snowpack should stay roughly where it is now and actually build and grow," said de Guzman.
As skiers and boarders limped home Tuesday night from an icy afternoon on the slopes, the snow kept coming.
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