Storm blankets Mammoth and dumps on Big Bear, and more snow is expected

As snow continues to come down, things are looking up at California ski resorts.

Bear Mountain received as much as 10 inches during the weekend, bringing its total to 35 inches, its website said, with 42 inches at the Big Bear peak. The forecast for midweek shows temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s, but snow is predicted by next week as temperatures fall back to slightly above freezing. There’s a 90% chance of snow for Saturday, according to the Weather Channel.

In the Eastern Sierra, Mammoth Mountain resort picked up about 3 feet at the main lodge and 4½ feet at the summit during the weekend, and snow is expected Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Monday, snow at the main lodge totaled 115 inches, or about 9½ feet, and the summit had 175, or 14½ feet.

Skiers at Mammoth reported some winds and busy facilities over the weekend, the tail end of the holiday season. Visitors said lift lines were manageable and that they had little problem getting around town on snowy streets.

A certain sweet spot will come this weekend, with most schools back in session and before the busy Martin Luther King weekend two weeks away.

In fact, the winter blasts come in the nick of time, giving resorts a chance to market the improved conditions and travelers time to plan for the upcoming holiday weekend. Martin Luther King weekend is traditionally a more reliable time for decent conditions at California resorts, with deeper and more powdery snow.

Last year, Mother Nature was stingy with snow at Mammoth, depositing only 64 inches combined in January and February of 2018. March brought 142 inches, which helped pump up the annual totals to 262 inches, not the worst total in the last 10 years (176 inches in 2014-15) but not the best (668½ inches, almost 56 feet, in 2010-2011).

There’s a 70% chance of snow Wednesday, Weather.com predicts and a 40% chance of snow showers on Sunday.

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