The Palisades ski area by
The Palisades ski area by Lake Tahoe in California says it has set a new record for the most snowfall it has received in a 12 hour period, peaking at 7 inches per hour.
The atmospheric river that just slammed the Bay Area and the Lake Tahoe region left some massive snowfall numbers in its wake. And with another major storm on the way, the region could be closing in on last winter's snowfall total by the end of this week.

Tahoe Weather reports that some areas got up to 4 feet of snow in the storm with one resort, Heavenly Valley, getting 53 inches over the New Year's weekend. Kirkwood Meadows was not far behind with 47 inches.

"January is starting out with nearly 50% of the average for the entire monthly already" Tahoe Weather tweeted.


The storm also left the region well over 50% of average for the entire snow season. Dodge Ridge, which got only 22 inches in the storm, now has a season total of 210 inches, which is 70% of its average for an entire season.


The resort with the highest snow total so far is Boreal Ridge with 240 inches total, so those who enjoy night skiing shouldn't have to worry about hitting any rocks for the foreseeable future.

Palisades at Tahoe, which has just unveiled its brand new gondola, got 40 inches of snow and is at 232 inches so far.

Here are the reported snowfall totals for all the major Sierra resorts:

Sugar Bowl: 39 inches
Boreal Ridge: 43 inches
Palisades Tahoe: 40 inches
Homewood: 45 inches
Tahoe Donner: 39 inches
Northstar: 43 inches
Mt. Rose: 40 inches
Diamond Peak: 40 inches
Heavenly 53 inches
Sierra At Tahoe: 44 inches
Kirkwood: 47 inches
Bear Valley: 21 inches
Dodge Ridge: 22 inches
Mammoth: 43 inches
China Peak: 18 inches

While the numbers are impressive, it is important to remember that last winter also began with major early-season storms only to see no snow for much of January and February.

The Sierra Avalanche Center reports that avalanche danger is moderate in the Tahoe region.