(KRON) — It is a good weekend for skiers and snowboarders headed to the Sierra after last weekend’s blizzard that brought eight-plus feet of snow to the area. That snow was badly needed to help the state’s water resources.
Miracle March is what snow enthusiasts were hoping for in places like Lake Tahoe, and they got it. The region has received a huge amount of snowfall for the month, and the snowpack is benefiting.
The weekend blizzard that blew through the Sierra Nevada last weekend made for difficult travel conditions and ski resorts were closed for several days. Once the area was shoveled out, ski resorts like Palisades Tahoe were able to take advantage of the fresh powder.
“This past weekend from Thursday evening to Monday we got eight feet of snow,” said Maddy Condon who is the public relations coordinator of Palisades Tahoe.
Condon says that because of all the new snow, the ski resort will extend their season to May 27. Memorial Day Weekend skiing is a good sign for the state’s snowpack.
“It’s great for the lake, it’s great for watersheds, it’s great for the California drought that we’ve seen in the past few years, so the more snow the merrier as always at ski resorts,” Condon said.
The California Department of Water Resources keeps a close eye on the state’s snowpack.
According to the manager of the department’s hydrology section, David Rizzardo, the statewide snowpack is just above 100 percent.
“We had this really good snowstorm which really pushed us where we want to be at this time of year in early March,” Rizzardo said.
Rizzardo hesitates to be too optimistic because he’s still paying close attention to the date April 1. That’s about when the state reaches peak snowpack each year, and the Department of Water Resources wants to see more snow in the forecast before then.
“Playing devil’s advocate on it too, we’re still just below the April 1 average, so by April 1, we would hope to get more snow and in fact I’d like to see it get slightly above average by April 1st,” said Rizzardo.
We’re nowhere near the high percentages of last winter’s snowpack but still in a good place. Rizzardo says it’s also important that temperatures don’t rise too fast this spring to avoid flooding in the Sierra.
Rob Nesbitt
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