The above image by the Sacramento Bee is very telling: the California Sierras haven’t received its normal seasonal snowfall so far this winter.
As of 3 January 2012, (of normal):
-Statewide: 19%
-Northern: 21%
-Central: 13%
-Southern: 26%
From what I’ve heard from resort operators near Lake Tahoe, they are hurting.
Below are two images I took from a run at North Star Resort in Lake Tahoe. And yes, that is grass you see in the distance. And no, those are not snow-covered trees. And no, that is not snow powder.
[image via Sacramento Bee | photos via PJ]