California

Snow in California: Mammoth Mountain Reports Snowfall

Winter is coming, at least that's the word in the Sierra.

Mammoth Mountain has been tweeting out photos of snow, getting everyone excited.

The top of Mammoth Mountain got some snow Monday, the ski resort said. The resort also periscoped a snowstorm on Tuesday.

"It is not currently snowing," a spokesperson for Mammoth told NBC Bay Area late Wednesday afternoon, "On Monday afternoon we received a dusting of snow from about 10,500 ft up to the top at 11,053 ft. The surrounding peaks also got a little dusting this morning."

Utah's Powder Mountain also reported the first snow of the season Wednesday and carried out a 24-hour flash sale.

Researchers say the impact of California’s historic drought on the Sierra Nevada Mountains snowpack is worse than previously believed.

Scientists, writing in the journal Nature Climate Change, estimate the snowpack hit a 500-year low this past winter. By examining tree rings on blue oak trees, scientists were able to determine the lack of sierra snowpack is the most severe in five centuries.

Snowpack plays a big role in the state’s water supply, providing about one-third of the California’s water in a normal year. The reduction in the amount of snow covering California mountains will in turn reduce the state’s available water. Even with a powerful El Niño that could result in a wet fall and winter looming, those potential storms are not likely to contribute to a large snowpack.

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