From the Sierra Nevada to the Coast, California's Mountains Are Blanketed in Snow
California's mountains are glistening with deep snow after the recent storms
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California's mountains are glistening with snow after a series of major storms in what is turning out to be a very wet winter.
The statewide snowpack is estimated at 124 percent of normal, a good sign for the state's water supply. Melting snow runs off mountains in spring, entering the state's aqueduct system.
Jared Meyer
A snap taken on Feb. 5 tells the frosty story: There's a lot of cold-a-tude going down up at Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Jared Meyer
A snap taken on Feb. 5 tells the frosty story: There's a lot of cold-a-tude going down up at Big Bear Mountain Resort.
BBMR
There's at least a fresh foot on the ground, and up to 20 inches in some spots.
BBMR
Snow depths? Look for 52" at the peak and 36" around the base.
Jared Meyer
"So far this winter season, with 69" of total snowfall, Big Bear has almost double the entire snowfall total from last winter(39")," says a resort representative.
Jared Meyer
Eager to play in all of those brand-new, super-picturesque flakes? Check road conditions and keep in mind that you may need chains.
Snowcapped peaks extend from the Sierra Nevada to mountain ranges much closer to the coast, including the rugged backdrop behind metropolitan Los Angeles.
On the Southern California coast, palm trees frame vistas of frosty ranges several dozen miles inland. Where the Holy Fire burned in August, a blanket of snow now covers part of Cleveland National Forest above Corona and Lake Elsinore.
Peter Morning/MMSA
Where cars once sat snow drifts now stand, as of the morning of Feb. 4, 2019.
Peter Morning/Mammoth Mountain
"Another 2-3 feet of snow brings the current storm total to 79-117”! That’s just about 10 FEET since Saturday."
Mammoth Mountain Resort
That's a car under all that powder. Only the windshield wipers are popping up through the snow.
Peter Morning/MMSA
Where cars once sat snow drifts now stand, as of the morning of Feb. 4, 2019.
Peter Morning/MMSA
"Full-on blizzard conditions" are impacting normal operations at the resort. The Main Lodge is closed as of Monday morning, Feb. 4. This snapshot provides a look at what's happening in nearby Mammoth Lakes. (What's happening: It's super-duper snowy.)
Peter Morning/MMSA
A date written in a drift: 2-4-19.
Peter Morning/MMSA
Sizable snow rectangles suggest that vehicles are somewhere underneath.
Peter Morning/MMSA
The sign for the Westin seems to be slowly disappearing.
Peter Morning/MMSA
As does a road-close sign leading drivers to various destinations. (Nope, Devils Postpile National Monument is definitely not open, no way, no how.)
Peter Morning/MMSA
Crews are working on the roads, but note that Highway 395 is "CLOSED from one mile north of Jct. 203 (the trees) to South Jct. 158 (June Lake) - Due to Heavy Snow and Low Visibility," says Cal Trans. Just check the weather report and Cal Trans before venturing for the mountains during and after the storm. And, of course, always.
A satellite image shows snow on ranges across Southern California and in the high desert.
Blowing snow early Wednesday in the Antelope Valley desert can be seen in video posted on Twitter by the Los Angeles County sheriff's Lancaster station.
In the Sierra, the Mammoth Mountain ski resort reported 7-10 feet (2-3 meters) of new snow in four days -- so much that people are urged to keep the potential for "snow immersion suffocation" in mind.
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