In late February 2024, residents of California and Nevada communities surrounding Lake Tahoe were starting to wonder whether winter would ever come. W

California Mountains Face Weather Whiplash

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2024-03-28 15:30:09

In late February 2024, residents of California and Nevada communities surrounding Lake Tahoe were starting to wonder whether winter would ever come. Warm temperatures and rain had left shovels and snowblowers untouched, local skiers discouraged, and water and disaster managers wondering what the year’s water supply and fire hazard would look like.

Then, on the last day of February, the storm of the year blew in, dumping more than 10 feet (3 meters) of snow in some places and bringing fierce winds, making national headlines. “A quarter of the seasonal snowpack fell on northern Sierra Nevada in a matter of a couple of days,” said Michael Anderson, California’s state climatologist. “It’s a huge boost,” he said. “And our snowpack needed a huge boost.”

Experts say that such extreme swings in weather—known as weather whiplash or its wintrier cousin, snow whiplash—are likely to become the norm in the Sierra Nevada. Quickly moving between extremes poses challenges for residents of the Lake Tahoe area, who need to dodge road closures and remove snow from their properties, and also for the people who manage the state’s resources because unpredictable weather can make it more difficult to prepare for drought and fire risks. “It’s becoming a much more dynamic and active environment to live in,” Anderson said.