Just about every outlet dedicated to weather is reporting the upcoming storm set to hit California and the West this weekend as THE BIG ONE for the year. Twelve feet has not been in any of the predictions so far this winter, even if the storm delivers half of what is expected, it would be a happy sight to everyone looking to ride some resets. That is, as long as everyone stays safe during the actual storm. Mammoth Mountain, tucked right in the path of the storm as it goes through the Sierra Nevada range, is preparing for the storm and has announced event cancellations already on its social media account.

“This is expected to be the Sierra’s heaviest single snowstorm this season, and heaviest since a siege of storms exactly one year ago in late February and early March 2023. As typical in the Sierra, major snowstorms are measured in feet. According to the National Weather Service, some higher elevations in the Sierra above 5,000 feet will see up to 10 feet of snow through Sunday. The highest peaks could pick up to 12 feet of snow, the NWS-Sacramento said.” – The Weather Channel

Most reports are accompanied with travel warnings anywhere from Northern California to central Nevada with heavy winds and rain in surrounding lower elevations. The peak of the storm will be early in the weekend (Friday), but once the travel restrictions start coming in, plenty of alerts will probably be put into effect through Sunday for Tahoe, Mammoth and the surrounding zones. By the looks of social media clips currently dropping (and a few other weather maps), Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Utah will get a little bump in their yearly snow report as well. All this is happening as the midwest sees temps go from 60°f to 28°f and back all within 36 hours and can’t really decide if it is spring or winter anymore.

As always, be careful if you are able to ride this weekend.