MAMMOTH LAKES — Early winter conditions arrived in the Eastern Sierra over the weekend as a storm system dropped significant snow across Mammoth Mountain, right as the resort prepares for its planned November 13 opening day. The Inertia reported that the storm delivered nine inches of snow at the Main Lodge elevation of 8,900 feet and 15 inches at the 11,000-foot summit by Sunday morning.
The timing of the snowfall comes fewer than two weeks before the resort intends to launch California’s ski season. Following the storm, resort management issued a brief update stating that snowmaking systems are active and grounds crews are working full steam ahead to prepare the mountain for visitors.
Visuals provided by Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth Lakes Tourism demonstrate that winter weather has established a strong presence across the area. However, weather forecasters indicate a shift toward warmer and drier conditions across the region as the week progresses.
While additional snow was projected for Tuesday, local temperatures around Mammoth Lakes are expected to rise leading into the upcoming weekend. Analysis from the team at SnowBrains notes that high-elevation mountain sites will likely reach the 50s by the weekend. Forecasters expect that even upper-elevation locations will struggle to experience overnight freezes, leading to snow settling and melting along sunny slopes. Upper terrain located in the shade is projected to offer better snow preservation. The forecast also indicates that Southern California will remain dry throughout the week, featuring mountain breezes Tuesday into Wednesday before warmer weather and offshore winds take over.
Meanwhile, regional competition for the season's first turns shifted earlier in the week. On Monday, Mt. Rose announced an unexpected early opening scheduled for November 13. The Tahoe-area resort on the Nevada side had originally set its opening around November 20, but opted to advance its date by two weeks following the same storm system. The move positions Mt. Rose as the first resort to open in the Tahoe region and the earliest within reach of the West Coast. Despite the change in Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain maintains its schedule to be the first ski resort operating in California this season.
