The First Snowfall of the Season Just Dusted the Sierra. Will It Stick Around?
The Sierra Nevada got its first major snowfall this week, ushering in what could be a historic winter.
Rain and snow blanketed the mountain range from Tuesday night through Thursday night, said Matt Chyba, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Reno office.
And while the Tahoe region “saw some good rain, up to an inch or more locally in some areas,” the area also received some snow at higher elevations — “above 8,000 feet mostly,” Chyba said.
This week’s precipitation was the first real storm of the season, kicking off the coming 2026-27 winter which, given the likelihood of a strong El Niño, could be particularly wet and snowy.
Perhaps the biggest winner of this first dusting was the area around Mammoth Mountain, which saw up to 5 inches of snow.
Ally Watson, spokesperson for Mammoth Lakes Tourism, said the fall colors in town mixed with the snow-capped mountains make for “such a nice contrast, to see the colors popping with the snow and the dimension in the mountains.”
(Courtesy of Cody Mathison)
“It’s a really nice start for our winter,” she said.
Due to its high elevation, Mammoth Mountain is often the first of the Sierra ski resorts to open in the winter and among the last to close — even with last year’s disappointing snowfall, the mountain stayed open until June 7. The mountain’s opening date is currently scheduled for Nov. 13.
Chyba said the NWS issued a flood watch for parts of northwestern Nevada and northeastern California, but ultimately his office didn’t hear of many issues due to this week’s storm.
What’s next for the Sierra and snow?
Heading into this weekend and next week, Chyba said, the cold weather should persist with overnight lows in the teens and low 20s and daytime highs in the 50s, Chyba said.
“Some of it could melt during the day, but some of it could stick around,” he said.
But eager skiers and snowboarders may have to wait until mid- to late-November for any more real snowfall, as there’s not a lot of precipitation in the near-term forecast.
“We’re looking at mostly a dry pattern going through at least the beginning of next week,” he said.