Tahoe Ski Resorts Stocked Full With Fresh Powder
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A winter storm that brought steady rain to the valley and snow down to Grass Valley in the foothills continued Thursday, putting smiles on the faces of Tahoe ski resort operators who had been suffering through a drastically dry season.
After a brief break in snowfall intensity overnight Wednesday, another storm following closely behind produced additional snow Thursday morning and into the afternoon.
The series of storms dropped more than 4 feet of fresh snow on the slopes at Lake Tahoe ski resorts, with Boreal reporting 5 feet at the top of the mountain. Snow fell down to about 2,000 feet, with Pollock Pines getting about a foot.
However, the combination of powdery snow and strong winds caused dangerous driving conditions with visibility near zero at times due to blowing and drifting snow.
Light showers fell in the Sacramento Valley on Thursday, most before 10 a.m. Winds remained fairly strong at 13-18 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph. All told, the Sacramento area has received about a half-inch of rainfall.
But the sun should return by Friday, with highs in the mid-60s or low 70s by the weekend.
Despite the heavy snowfall, California is far behind in amassing the amount needed to sustain water use in the arid state for the rest of the year. The state uses reservoirs and a system of aqueducts to deliver snowmelt to 25 million Californians who depend on it for all or part of their water.
Measurements on Thursday showed the water content of the snowpack at 34 percent of normal, the fourth-lowest reading since the 1940s, said Dave Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys for the Department of Water Resources. Last year at this time, the snowpack was 124 percent of normal and reached 165 percent by April 1.
"It's a nice change," Rizzardo said of the storm, "but the reality is we need a lot more."
The storm is bringing fresh powder to the ski resorts, but powdery snow lacks the moisture content that Rizzardo wanted to see. Snow in the state currently holds 8 inches of water, compared with 23 inches that would be normal by this date.
"The ski resorts are happy — it will be a nice powder day tomorrow. But we like the wet, cement stuff that really hurts you when you fall down," Rizzardo said. "Nothing personal against skiers."
The lack of water content and the unlikely prospects that enough storms will come to make up the deficit by April's melt has prompted officials to warn Central California farmers that they will receive only half of the water they requested this growing season.
