From Zero to Hero and Back: California's Snowpack Reverses Course Twice in Just Weeks - SnowBrains

"Over a roughly 72-hour period between February 17 and 20, the Sierra Nevada Mountains were buried by up to 100 inches of snow in one of the largest storms in recorded history. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Certain areas in the Sierras saw well over 100 inches of snow, while resorts such as Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Mammoth all received four to six feet of snowfall."

"On Tuesday, February 24, temperatures surged, and snow levels rose to nearly 10,000 feet. Over two inches of precipitation fell as rain-even in upper mountain areas-wiping out much of what had fallen during the historic storm just days prior. Worse yet, rain continued to fall throughout the mountains, with some areas reporting up to six inches since the February 24."

"Record-high temperatures and low precipitation have been catalysts for a dramatic lack of snow from the Southern Rockies to the North Cascades (and everywhere in between). The Sierra Nevada, a region used to seeing some of the highest snow totals on Earth, was not spared from our not-so-wintery winter."

The 2025-2026 winter season has been exceptionally warm and dry across the American West, with the Sierra Nevada experiencing significantly below-average snowfall. By mid-February, California's snowpack measured just below 50% of its typical April 1st peak. A massive winter storm between February 17-20 deposited up to 100 inches of snow in parts of the Sierras, with major resorts receiving four to six feet. However, this dramatic improvement was short-lived. Temperatures surged on February 24, with snow levels rising to nearly 10,000 feet and over two inches of rain falling in upper mountain areas. Subsequent rainfall events deposited up to six inches additional precipitation, rapidly melting the recent snowfall and returning the snowpack to critically low levels within weeks.

Read at SnowBrains