Weather
California’s ski weather turns active from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon, with a windy Sierra storm bringing the best refresh of the period before a quick shift back to warm spring conditions. Open Sierra and Carson Range resorts should come away with generally 3″-19″, with the biggest totals on the Tahoe crest and Mammoth more in the 7″-10″ range. Snow quality starts dense Tuesday with SLRs mostly 7-10, then improves into the 10-13 range late Wednesday night and Thursday as snow levels fall. With Bear Valley and Dodge Ridge closed and Mount Baldy temporarily closed, the storm’s ski value is concentrated at the open Tahoe, Carson Range, and Mammoth mountains.
Tuesday starts the useful part of this cycle in the Sierra, and confidence is strongest from Tuesday morning through Thursday afternoon because guidance is aligned on a cooler, windy storm through that stretch. The guidance is fairly well clustered on timing, with snow expanding from Mammoth and the southern Sierra into Tahoe by Tuesday afternoon, but it spreads noticeably on exact intensity along the west slope. Snow levels generally hold around 7,000 to 8,000 feet Tuesday, so the first round is heavier, denser snow with SLRs mostly 7-10 and only the highest terrain staying consistently cold. Farther south, guidance also converges on southwest to west wind gusting 35 to 55 mph Tuesday night and Wednesday but keeps snow levels mostly above 7,500 feet, so Mount Baldy looks more wet and windy than snowy.
A colder wave then pushes through Wednesday into Thursday and keeps the Sierra snowfall going while dropping snow levels toward 4,500 to 6,000 feet by the end. This is the stretch where the guidance still converges on stronger wind impacts, with Sierra ridges frequently gusting 45 to 70 mph, but it diverges more on just how hard the west slope gets hit, which is why storm timing is more certain than exact resort ranking. Expect the best overall refresh on the Tahoe crest with broadly 11″-19″, central Sierra totals closer to 6″-14″, Mammoth around 7″-10″, and Carson Range resorts lighter at 3″-5″. Snow quality should improve late Wednesday night and Thursday as SLRs edge into the 10-13 range.
Friday turns the page quickly back toward spring skiing, and the guidance is tightly clustered on a drier, warmer stretch through the weekend and into early next week. Winds ease after Friday, skies open up, and temperatures rebound enough for daily melt-freeze conditions with colder starts Friday morning and progressively softer afternoons by Saturday through Monday. The broader pattern also leans warmer and drier into the following week, so after this storm exits there is little support for another meaningful California refresh in the short range.
Resort Forecast Totals (Tue Mar 31 – Thu Apr 02)
- Kirkwood – 13″-19″
- Sugar Bowl – 12″-18″
- Palisades Tahoe – 11″-16″
- Bear Valley – 10″-14″
- Mammoth – 7″-10″
- Dodge Ridge – 6″-9″
- Northstar – 5″-7″
- Mt. Rose – 4″-5″
- Diamond Peak – 3″-5″
- Heavenly – 3″-4″
- Mount Baldy – 0″
