California snow totals have reached such heights along the Sierra Nevada mountain range – more than 600 inches in some spots – that at least one ski resort announced that it would remain open through July 4.
The snow and rain has been a welcomed sight for some, but overwhelming for others, in a state that had been mired in drought for years, said the Washington Post.
Some of the chairlifts at the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows resort were buried in snow after seven more inches fell there over the past week, noted the Post, and the resort announced that it will stay through Independence Day, giving skiers a place to go over the summer. It marks just the fourth time the ski resort will be open for July 4th, stated the Post.
The resort had 565 inches of snow fall there this season. The website SnowBrains.com said six other ski resorts along Sierra Nevada have topped the 500 inches this season – 636 inches at the Mount Rose ski area in Nevada; 584 inches at Boreal Mountain; 556 inches at Kirkwood, including 80 inches this week; 544 inches at Heavenly, including 81 inches this week; 534 inches at Northstar, including 84 inches this week; and 510 inches at Mammoth.
The California Department of Water Resources released a snow survey Feb. 2 that the Sierra Nevada snowpack has now reached 173 percent of average, reported the Los Angeles Times.
An analysis this month reported that amount of snow that fell in the Sierra Nevada in January was equivalent of more than 5.7 trillion gallons of water, enough water to fill the state's largest reservoir more than four times, noted the Times.
A University of Colorado Boulder and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory study concluded this month that recent snowfall had replenished more than a one-third of the state's lingering "snow-water deficit," reported the newspaper.
AccuWeather said more rain and snow will hit California, causing minor travel disruptions, but the state will see a break an extended break from storms afterwards.
"Another six to 12 inches of snow may fall with wintry travel in the Sierra Nevada with perhaps a couple of inches and slippery conditions over the Grapevine," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "Once the storm departs California on Tuesday, there may be an extended period of dry weather for much of the state."
"Beyond early next week, while it is too early to say with certainty that the storms have ended for the season in California, it does appear that the longer separation between storms beginning now will carry forward well into March."
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