San Bernardino County mountains see nearly a foot of new snow overnight
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. - Snow continues to fall across the San Bernardino County mountains Tuesday, making it the perfect setting for ski lovers and snowboarders alike.
Officials said another four to 10 inches of new snow fell overnight, totaling to up to a foot of fresh powder this week.
Meteorologists say several more inches of snow could fall, with snow showers likely before 4 p.m. and highs in the upper 30s.
Traveling on roads will be difficult due to icy conditions - so those heading up to enjoy the fresh powder are asked to plan accordingly and allow enough time for travel as traffic is also expected to be busy, officials said.
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West Resort is currently open and night skiing/riding is scheduled to take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada and the National Weather Service discouraged travel. Interstate 80, a key highway from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe ski resorts, reopened with chain requirements after periodic weekend closures because of whiteout conditions.
"If you must travel, be prepared for dangerous travel conditions, significant travel delays and road closures," the weather service office in Sacramento said on Twitter.
The University of California Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab tweeted Monday morning that it had recorded 49.6 inches of new snow since Friday.
A backcountry avalanche warning was issued for the central Sierra, including the greater Tahoe area.
A barrage of atmospheric river storms has dumped rain and snow on California since late December, cutting power to thousands, swamping roads, toppling trees, unleashing debris flows and triggering landslides. Monday’s system was relatively weak compared with earlier storms, but flooding and mudslide risks remained because the state was so saturated, forecasters said.
Mostly dry days were in the week’s forecast, though some parts of Northern California could see more rain at midweek.
At least 20 storm-related deaths have occurred, and a 5-year-old boy remained missing after being swept out of his mother’s car by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County.
Forecasters were keeping their eyes on a storm forming in the Pacific to see if it gains enough strength to become the state’s 10th atmospheric river of the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.