Snow in Mountains Is Still Not Enough for Most Ski Resorts

Flurries whitened some Southern California mountain areas Saturday but not enough snow accumulated for most ski resorts to open.

In Big Bear, Snow Mountain reported that although there had been about three inches of snow overnight, the resort would not open until Christmas at the earliest.

The Snow Summit resort nearby has been open for about three weeks, spokesman Greg Ralph said, and was running half of its 10 ski lifts Saturday. All roads to Big Bear were reported open but auto chains or snow tires were required.

Roads in the mountain areas were unaffected by the scattered snow showers, said California Highway Patrol Officer Henry Merenda.

There were reports of snow and hail in Hesperia, 65 miles northeast of Los Angeles, but no roads were closed.

Some Cars Skidding

“There are the usual problems of snow on Saturday,” said CHP dispatcher Sandy Smith in Bakersfield, 100 miles north of Los Angeles. “People finding out they need chains and skidding into other cars.”

Snow showers should clear today with snow levels around 4,500 feet, said Bill Schneider, a National Weather Service spokesman.

A drier, more stable air mass will move into Southern California today, bringing clear skies and local gusty northerly winds, the weather service predicted.

Highs Sunday will range from 66 to 70 along the coast, 38 to 45 in the mountains, 50 to 58 in the Owens Valley, 54 to 62 in the high desert, 68 to 74 in the low desert and 68 to 72 in Los Angeles and the inland valleys.

Bad Year for Ski Resorts

Sierra Nevada ski resorts, suffering one of their worst season starts, received a moderate snowfall as the storm whipped across the snow-starved slopes.

The Pacific storm deposited as much as 10 inches in places Friday, delighting skiers and providing enough of a base for a handful of resorts to expand their runs for this weekend. The snow level descended to about 5,000 feet. Another storm was expected at midweek.

The outlook for Northern California called for increasing clouds over the weekend in the far north with possible rain today.

In Central California, the forecast was for fair weather through today, except for dense valley fog.