SACRAMENTO, Calif —
The ongoing, extremely impactful blizzard in the Sierra has produced impressive snowfall totals and will continue to do so in the coming days.
Heavy snow has persisted in the Sierra since Thursday and most locations above 5,000 feet have received 5-8 feet of snow.
The Central Sierra Snow Lab has surpassed the five-foot mark as of Sunday morning, receiving 23.8” on Saturday alone. Totals would have been higher but snow ratios, the percentage of water to snow, were lower than originally forecast.
Homewood Ski Resort led the way on Saturday with a whopping 42” of snow, pushing the storm total to 88” (7.3’). Sugar Bowl received 35”, Boreal 33”, Palisades 31", and Sierra-at-Tahoe 26". Friday and Saturday snow totals were similar across the board with a few more inches for most locations on Saturday.
The blizzard has pushed a few locations, including Sugar Bowl and Mt. Rose, above their season-to-date averages while others are quickly approaching average. On Friday morning, just as the storm was ramping up, the statewide snowpack percent of average was at 84%.
The snow on Sunday isn’t expected to be as heavy as Friday and Saturday, but the blizzard warning continues until midnight. Scattered showers are expected throughout the day in the valley and steady, more widespread in the Sierra and foothills above 2,000 feet.
It is still possible that a few locations could reach the 100" mark with another 1-2 feet possible by Monday night. Although the blizzard warning expires at midnight, another push of moisture on Monday and Tuesday has prompted the issuance of a winter storm warning once the blizzard warning expires. Most of the snowfall with this next influx of moisture will be along and north of Interstate 80, which remains closed as of 12 p.m. Sunday with no estimated time of reopening.
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