Blustery, cold weekend storm adds to California's big snowpack

SACRAMENTO — A blustery weekend storm added to California's big mountain snowpack, leaving icy conditions in the Sierra Nevada early Monday.

Chains were required on sections of Sierra highways, but a backcountry avalanche warning for the greater Lake Tahoe area expired around sunrise.

For a time on Sunday, about 74 miles (119 kilometers) of U.S. 395 were closed due to whiteout conditions, according to the California Department of Transportation.

The storm dropped 16 inches to 24 inches (40-61 centimeters) of snow at Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra and the season total so far at its main lodge surpassed 400 inches (1,016 cm), the resort's website said.

"It is incredibly cold out there," the resort said.

The Reno Bureau of the National Weather Service announced Monday that several ski resorts around the Lake Tahoe area received more than a foot of snow over a 48-hour span. Among those receiving the most snow over the weekend include Homewood (30 inches), Boreal (26 inches) and Northstar (24 inches.) 

Meanwhile, the Central Sierra Snow Lab received 21 inches and now has accumulated nearly 32 feet - about three stories -- of snow this year.

And more is on the way.

"As we get to the middle of February, the potential increases for another storm arriving to the region around Valentine's Day," NWS forecasters in Reno said. "Additional storm systems could keep a relatively active weather pattern going through Presidents' Day Weekend. "

In:
• Snowpack
• Storm Watch
• Snow Storm
• Snow Totals