Ski Resort Operators Feel Winter of Their Discontent : Weather: Unusually warm temperatures, dry season in the Sierra Nevada mean no snow--and no income.

By MARK ARAX

Dec. 1, 1995 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

HUNTINGTON LAKE, Calif. —

The winter of 1994-95 was like a house guest who would not leave--snowstorms in May, hail in June, skiing on the Fourth of July. Someone must have said something as he finally walked out the door because Old Man Winter hasn’t come back.

Here at Sierra Summit ski resort 65 miles northeast of Fresno, they spent nearly $2 million gearing up for this winter, adding a chair lift and 10 ski runs. But the mountain is brown and bare and temperatures are so mild that not even man’s machines can make snow.

The story is the same throughout the Sierra Nevada, the state’s vast watershed. Only half an inch of rain has fallen on the mountain range since summer--the third driest fall on record--leaving ski areas closed as far north as Lake Tahoe.

The numbers are even worse in the valleys below. Sacramento, Stockton and Fresno have barely recorded a trace of rain since July, and people have begun to mutter the dreaded “d” word.

Has the drought returned? Did it ever go away? Was last year’s deluge an impostor?

It is a little early to say, according to experts, although a warm, dry November usually means a below average rain year.

“I’m trying not to panic because it’s still very early,” said Maurice Roos, the state’s chief hydrologist. “But November’s lack of any rain doesn’t bode well for winter as a whole.”

One dry year does not make a drought, Roos cautioned. But if the big storms do not materialize, this would be the eighth winter in the past 10 that the northern Sierra fell short of its 50-inch precipitation average.

“Last year was the second wettest since 1922,” Roos said. “So even if we have another drought year, we’ve got a lot of carry-over water in the state’s reservoirs.”

Up and down the Sierra, California’s winter playground, fall continues to reign. In Lake Tahoe, the community of Incline Village is preparing to go forward with its annual Northern Lights Winter Festival--without winter.

The parade, the black tie Christmas Gala, the merchant’s bazaar and barhop will all take place as scheduled Dec. 7-12. But if the temperatures do not drop fast--as in this weekend--the festival will be forced to cancel its nationally televised collegiate ski competition.

“Yesterday felt like spring,” said Julie Jeffers of the Incline Village Chamber of Commerce. “The sun was out, not even a breeze. It’s absolutely beautiful. But we’re praying for clouds.”

For the ski runs to open at Lake Tahoe, the snow machines need 10 straight days of below-freezing temperatures. At noon Wednesday, it was 52. “It’s not rare that we haven’t had a big snowstorm yet,” Jeffers said. “What’s rare is that the temperatures have been so high that we can’t even make snow.”

On the eastern slope of the Sierra at Mammoth Mountain, the ski resort was hoping to open five runs by this weekend. Because Mammoth sits at a higher elevation, temperatures have been cold enough to make snow.

“We received a light dusting of natural snow last weekend and we’ve been able to make some good snow this past week,” said Wendy Kelley of the Mammoth ski resort. “We’re not panicking. It’s late, but not that late.”

California’s urban centers are used to long periods without rain. After all, two-thirds of the state’s residents reside in desert or near-desert climes. But the near absence of rain since July is unusual.

Los Angeles has received 0.11 inches of rain since July 1, and the historic normal is 2.82 inches. Sacramento has recorded only 0.01 inches of rain this season, compared to the normal 4.48 inches. San Francisco is at 0.14 inches; normal is 4.88 inches.

In Central California, the lack of rain has made for more hazy, smoggy days. Doctors specializing in lung ailments said this fall has been particularly bad for asthma and bronchitis sufferers. Cotton farmers, though, have used the dry weather to try to salvage a terrible crop.

Late November is typically a time when they have finished picking and are preparing to plow under their fields. This November, the dry weather has allowed them to stretch out the picking season and even make a second run through the fields.

“We usually don’t bother with the leftover cotton,” said Rodger Sanders, a Bakersfield grower. “But this year, with the terrible yields and good weather, a lot of guys are picking their fields a second time.”

The Farmer’s Almanac was half right. It predicted a dry fall with things picking up in mid-November. Weather forecasters say a reprieve may be in the offing as early as this weekend.

A weather system is brewing over the Pacific Northwest, bringing a chance of rain in the Sierra and colder temperatures.

“We are just waiting,” said Sierra Summit’s Patrick Devaurs. “It could change in a hurry, you know.”

* LOW HUMIDITY DANGER: Vendors try to protect Christmas trees from dryness. B1

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Return of the Drought?

Dry conditions in the Sierra Nevada have kept many ski areas closed, and the valleys below are even more parched, recording barely a trace of rainfall since July 1. Here are some of this year’s totals, compared with the normal amounts to date.

Redding:

Normal: 8.81

Year to date: 0.25

Sacramento:

Normal: 4.48

Year to date: 0.01

Fresno:

Normal: 2.13

Year to date: 0.01

Santa Monica:

Normal: 2.25

Year to date: 0.33