A major storm system that is drenching the state with rain on Thursday has already brought about 2 feet of snow to Mammoth Mountain, and more flakes are on the way.
As of the early afternoon, 21 to 27 inches of fresh powder had fallen on the Eastern Sierra mountain over the past 24 hours. The total daytime accumulation for Thursday could reach 26 to 32 inches, according to the resort.
The latest forecast indicates that it will keep snowing in the Mammoth area throughout the long holiday weekend.
Parts of the Sierra could see 6 to 8 feet of snowfall between Tuesday and Sunday, with localized amounts of up to 12 feet possible over the period, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.
It’s been a snowy December already for Mammoth Mountain, which has received 90 inches of snow with just over a week to go in the month. That’s nearly three times the resort’s total for all of last December.
To date, the seasonal snowfall totals are 175 inches at the summit and 131 inches at Main Lodge.
Powerful winds and heavy snow are expected to impact Mammoth’s operations over the next few days, officials said. On Thursday afternoon, just five of the resort’s 25 lifts were up and running amid expected gusts of up to 85 mph, the resort’s website showed.
With storms expected to wallop the area through the weekend, forecasters are urging people planning to travel through the mountains for Christmas to rethink their plans due to the inclement weather and dangerous road conditions.
“Mountain travel is highly discouraged through the holiday weekend,” NWS Sacramento’s Twitter account said.
Travelers can find the latest road conditions in the state on Caltrans’ website.