Sierra at Tahoe on March 18, 2026
California’s current heatwave is an exceptional one. Winter technically hasn’t even ended (March 22, 2026) and Lake Tahoe, which saw more than eight feet of snow from a single storm just a month ago, is seeing temps near 70 degrees Fahrenheit now. As you can imagine, much of that snow is long gone. The first shoes dropping as a result of this late-winter swing have fallen this week as two Tahoe resorts announced they’re closing down early now.
Homewood Moutain Resort announced Tuesday it’s last day of operation would be St. Paddy’s day — just under a month early for the small Tahoe ski area.
“Mother Nature always gets the final word in the mountains, and this season she’s calling it a little early,” they said about the last-minute announcement. “With today’s high temperatures and the forecast showing highs in the 70s starting tomorrow and through the weekend, our snowpack is rapidly dwindling. The safety of our guests and employees is always our top priority, and the safest option is to close today.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a weather station in Tahoe City (near Homewood) recorded “zero snowpack” a full 40 days before the typical melt-off date for that area along the lake’s western shore.
“A prolonged melt event such as this, at this time of year, has not occurred in recent history,” said Mike Imgarten, a senior hydrologist at the National Weather Service’s California-Nevada River Forecast Center.
About 50 miles south of Homewood, Sierra at Tahoe brought the same news on Tuesday and said Sunday, March 22, will be their last day of operation for the season. Like many resorts fighting to keep trails and lifts open throughout a warm and often dry season, Brian Hickman, Director of Operations at Sierra at Tahoe acknowledged that “sometimes, Mother Nature wins.”
So, cross two more California resorts off the books for this brief season. Sierra at Tahoe and Homewood join Dodge Ridge as Tahoe area resorts that wrapped up a strikingly short season with no spring skiing, as well as Northern California’s Mt. Shasta Ski Park in the Cascade Range.
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