Sierra: 14 inches at Mt. Rose, and a bigger storm is due on 18–19 November
Fresh snow on the pine forest at Mammoth Lakes, California, in November 2012. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
The first real storm of the season left 7 to 14 inches (18 to 36 cm) of snow above 7,000 ft in the Sierra Nevada on the night of Friday 13 to Saturday 14 November 2026. Mt. Rose reported 14 inches and Mammoth Mountain 13 inches. A weaker storm follows on Sunday night and Monday, and the National Weather Service expects a colder, stronger one on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November.
In short
- The National Weather Service in Reno put the Friday-night totals at 7–14 inches above 7,000 ft and 2–5 inches down to lake level at Tahoe.
- The highest reports were Mt. Rose with 14 inches and the Mammoth Mountain ski base with 13 inches.
- That is less than the top of the forecast range from 12 November, which gave up to 20 inches on the crest.
- Wind gusts reached 94 mph near the Mammoth Mountain summit on Friday 13 November.
- The next storm, on 18–19 November, could bring 1–2 ft near the Sierra crest, according to early NWS projections.
What fell on Friday night
"Friday night's storm brought a burst of snow to the Sierra with totals of 7-14" above 7000 ft and 2-5" below 7000 ft to lake level around Tahoe," the National Weather Service in Reno wrote in its forecast discussion on Saturday 14 November. Along the crest, the storm brought 1 to 1.5 inches of water.
The weather service collects snow reports from observers and ski areas. These are the 24-hour totals to about 7–8 a.m. on Saturday 14 November:
| Place | New snow (24 h) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Rose ski base | 14.0 in (36 cm) | NWS Reno |
| Mammoth Mountain ski base | 13.0 in (33 cm) | NWS Reno |
| Soda Springs (2 mi NE) | 11.0 in (28 cm) | NWS Sacramento |
| Bear Valley (2 mi N) | 11.0 in (28 cm) | NWS Sacramento |
| Heavenly ski base | 8.0 in (20 cm) | NWS Reno |
| Homewood ski base | 7.0 in (18 cm) | NWS Reno |
| Tahoe City | 3.0 in (8 cm) | NWS Reno |
The resorts' own reports agree. Mt. Rose gave 12–14 inches of new snow and a base of 18–26 inches on Saturday afternoon, and was open with the Lakeview Express lift. Sugar Bowl reported 14 inches in 24 hours and plans to open on Friday 27 November. Palisades Tahoe reported 10 inches. Tahoe Ski World also reported 14 inches at Mt. Rose.
Less than the forecast, more wind
Our article of 12 November reported the weather service's watches before the storm: about 12 inches around Tahoe above 7,000 ft and up to 20 inches on the crest west of the lake. The reports so far are in the lower half of that range, and no report of 20 inches came in.
The wind matched the forecast. The weather service recorded a gust of 94 mph near the Mammoth Mountain summit at 1:05 p.m. on Friday 13 November and 89 mph at Conway Summit. The watches had warned of gusts of 70 to 90 mph.
The next two storms
The Tahoe Daily Tribune wrote on Saturday 14 November that "Winter has officially clocked in around Tahoe," and that two more storms are lined up. The weather service gives this sequence:
| When | Forecast |
|---|---|
| Sunday 15 Nov, day | dry, strong south-west wind on the ridges |
| Sun night – Mon 16 Nov | weaker storm: 3–7 in above 7,000 ft at Tahoe, up to 1 in at lake level; ridge gusts to 70 mph |
| Tuesday 17 Nov | dry break |
| Wed 18 – Thu 19 Nov | colder, stronger storm: early projections of 1–2 ft near the crest and 6 in or more down to lake level |
The weather service writes that the midweek storm has the potential to bring more snow than the first two storms together, but that its track is still uncertain. OpenSnow forecaster Bryan Allegretto expects 1 to 3 ft across the Sierra and snow levels as low as 3,000 ft by Thursday, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported.
Which resorts are open
Mammoth Mountain has been open since Thursday 5 November and Mt. Rose is open on its early-season terrain. Sugar Bowl targets Friday 27 November. Vail Resorts plans to open Heavenly and Northstar on Friday 20 November and Kirkwood on Friday 4 December. Palisades Tahoe sells "Opening Day" tickets but gave no date on its home page on Saturday 14 November. Check each resort's own page before you travel, because opening dates can move with the snow.
What this means for your skis
Sugar Bowl called the new snow dense and base-building, and the base is still thin, with rocks close under the surface. An all-mountain ski of 92–96 mm suits both the groomed opening runs and a few inches of fresh, heavy snow.
| Ski | Waist | Radius (length) |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Maverick 96 CTi | 96 mm | 18 m (179 cm) |
| Salomon QST 94 | 94 mm | 16.5 m (180 cm) |
| Armada Declivity 92 Ti | 92 mm | 17.5 m (180 cm) |
The figures are the makers' own; we compare them, we do not ski the products. To find the right ski for your level, use the Pick-a-Ski ski finder.
