Could El Niño bring an early snow season to California? Photo: Kirkwood//Facebook
As Hurricane Rachel transitioned to a tropical storm and hooked toward Southern California, the system’s remnants coincided with a cold low-pressure system, bringing an early season dusting of snow to the Sierra Nevada on Sunday and Monday.
Resorts such as Kirkwood, Heavenly, and Mammoth posted photos of a thin layer sticking to the ground at elevations above 6,000 feet.
Some resorts, such as Mt. Rose and Heavenly, took advantage of sub-freezing temperatures to turn on the snowmaking machines.
“With temperatures dropping, our snowmaking team has officially kicked off the season, and the snow guns are running from top to bottom across the mountain,” Mt. Rose wrote on Instagram. “Winter is on the horizon, and our crew is already hard at work building the foundation for an unforgettable season ahead!”
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Heavenly said it used the weather to “test a few of our snow guns and get the system dialed for the season ahead.”
Some Sierra Nevada resorts are expected to open as soon as next month. Heavenly and Northstar say they’ll open on November 20. Palisades Tahoe is aiming for November 25, while Kirkwood is aiming for December 4. Mammoth Mountain, which also posted videos of the new snow, could open by November 13.
However, before we get too excited, a warming trend is expected to kick in this week throughout California, which could melt some of this new snow.
According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the 2026-2027 El Niño season should bring the first significant snowfall to the Tahoe region in late November or early December.
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