Weather
A powerful weekend storm will blanket much of California’s ski country with widespread new snow from late Friday night through Monday, with the deepest totals focused on the central Sierra and the highest elevations of the eastern Sierra. Snow levels start relatively high Friday night into Saturday, then trend steadily lower Saturday night through early Monday, improving coverage at mid-mountain and boosting snow quality as the cold air filters in. Expect a windier stretch at upper elevations, especially Saturday into early Sunday, followed by a gradually tapering pattern Monday into Tuesday. Far Southern California mountains see much more limited snowfall with snow levels largely too high for meaningful accumulations until late in the event. Looking beyond the early-week wrap-up, the pattern trends toward fewer storm opportunities overall into mid-January.
Late Friday Night–Saturday Warm Start: The first round arrives late Friday night into Saturday with snow levels initially running roughly 6,500–8,000 feet in the Tahoe and eastern Sierra zone, and generally 6,500–7,500 feet across the broader Sierra. That means the earliest snow will be on the wetter, denser side, with SLRs commonly in the 6–9:1 range at many Tahoe and central Sierra resorts. Even so, snowfall adds up quickly at the higher bases and along the crest, where open resorts like Bear Valley, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl, Palisades Tahoe, and Dodge Ridge begin stacking meaningful accumulations. Winds out of the south to southwest ramp up as well, with the more exposed ridgelines and upper lifts most likely to feel the brunt during the day Saturday.
Saturday Night–Sunday Colder Core: The main event peaks from Saturday night into Sunday as colder air deepens and snow levels drop closer to 5,000–6,500 feet across much of the Sierra, with Tahoe trending downward toward lake level by Sunday into early Monday. This is the window where snowfall totals surge and quality improves, with SLRs climbing into the 10–13:1 range for many resorts, and even better at higher elevations farther south where Mammoth trends into the 12–16:1 range at times. The central Sierra standouts push into the 30″–44″ total range at the top end, while Tahoe-area resorts generally land lower, closer to the 11″–22″ range, with the best bursts Saturday night and Sunday night. Strong upper-mountain winds continue to be a notable factor, especially around the crest.
Sunday Night–Tuesday Wrap-Up, Then Drier Lean: A final push Sunday night into early Monday keeps snow coming, then the storm gradually transitions to lighter, more on-and-off mountain snow into Tuesday. By this stage, snow levels are at their lowest of the event, generally below about 5,000 feet early Monday, and snow quality is at its best with SLRs commonly 11–14:1, locally higher in the coldest pockets. Down south, snow levels remain problematic for meaningful accumulations through much of Saturday, peaking near 9,000 feet before lowering to around 6,500–7,500 feet Sunday, which is why Mount Baldy (currently temporarily closed) only sees a very light coating. After the early-week leftovers, the medium and longer-range outlook favors a drier-than-normal pattern for California overall into mid-January, so storm opportunities become less frequent compared to this weekend’s burst.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Bear Valley – 31″–44″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Kirkwood – 31″–43″ Fri night (01/02) – Tue (01/06)
- Sugar Bowl – 30″–42″ Fri night (01/02) – Tue (01/06)
- Palisades Tahoe – 27″–38″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Dodge Ridge – 27″–38″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Mammoth – 27″–36″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Northstar – 16″–22″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Diamond Peak – 12″–17″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Mt Rose – 12″–16″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
- Heavenly – 11″–15″ Fri night (01/02) – Mon night (01/05)
