Storms bring 4 feet of new snow to Sierra Nevada resorts

Big storms this week brought up to four feet of snow over the last 48 hours to Sierra Nevada ski resorts. Northstar received 49 inches between Tuesday Jan. 15 and Thursday Jan. 17, 2019. (Northstar California)
Big storms this week brought up to four feet of snow over the last 48 hours to Sierra Nevada ski resorts. Northstar received 49 inches between Tuesday Jan. 15 and Thursday Jan. 17, 2019. (Photo: Northstar California)

By Paul Rogers | progers@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

PUBLISHED: January 17, 2019 at 12:49 p.m. | UPDATED: January 18, 2019 at 6:43 a.m.

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A wave of steady storms this week, capped off Wednesday night by a powerful atmospheric river event that caused the National Weather Service to issue a rare blizzard warning, brought more than four feet of snow to some Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts.

The huge snowfall boosted the statewide Sierra snowpack to 103 percent of normal on Thursday, up from just 69 percent on Jan. 1.

It also comes ahead of one of the biggest California ski weekends of the year, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday weekend.

48-hour totals through Thursday, from the National Weather Service office in Sacramento:

Squaw Valley: 52″
Northstar: 49″
Soda Springs: 43″
Boreal: 43″
Alpine Meadows: 42″
Bear Valley: 36″
Sugar Bowl: 34″
Homewood: 33″
Dodge Ridge: 31″
Kirkwood: 30″
Tahoe Donner: 26″
Heavenly: 19″

Poor mountain travel conditions will continue into early tomorrow. If you must travel, make sure to check road conditions at: https://t.co/if6ShiTCCf #cawx pic.twitter.com/kaYGZQ0gqh

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) January 17, 2019