News

General Conditions

A week ago Summit weather had returned to conditions that are closer to normal for this time of year; the past week has been even more so.  Three and a half feet of new snow fell over last weekend.  High temperatures have ranged from the mid 20s to the low 40s over the past week.  Lowest snow along I-80 today (April 16) was at 4000 ft (Drum Forbear exit).

The Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reports no precipitation since Sunday (April 12).  The year-to-date snowfall is 293.7 inches compared to a median 334.45 inches on this date and 360 inches for the season.  Total rain-plus-snow precipitation is 106% of median for this date.

All ski resorts at Donner Summit have closed for the season; the nearest operating lifts are at Palisades Tahoe; Palisades hopes to continue running to the end of April.  Webcams at Sugar Bowl (http://www.sugarbowl.com/home), Donner Ski Ranch (http://webcams.donnerskiranch.com/), and Boreal (https://www.rideboreal.com/explore/webcams/boreal-mountain-cam/) provide views of current conditions.  Backcountry skiing remains feasible at 7000 ft and above; but avoid south facing slopes, and beware of snow bridges and streams, which are carrying a lot of water.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (April 16) sunrise was at 6:22 AM; sunset will be at 7:39 PM.  Sunrise is 11 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 6 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 2-1/2 minutes per day.

Star Gazing: The Moon will be new at 4:52 AM tomorrow morning (April 17).  Evening stargazing will be good for a few more days; then the Moon will start brightening evening skies, making stars harder to see.  Jupiter remains bright, roughly in the middle of the constellation Gemini and at zenith in early evening hours.  Orion and Sirius are visible toward the southwest but dipping below the horizon well before midnight.  The Big Dipper is close to overhead around midnight.  Venus is visible for about 90 minutes after sunset above the western horizon; it will continue to become brighter and higher in the evening sky in coming weeks.  Mars may be faintly visible before sunrise in the eastern sky; it will become easier to spot in coming months.

Forecast

Today will be sunny with a high/low temperature range of 43°/16°; this is cooler than yesterday and will be cooler than the next few days.  Expect sunny conditions Saturday and mostly clouds Sunday with a high/low range 55°/33° each day.  Precipitation returns next week; there could be 1-3 inches of new snow Tuesday and Wednesday (probability is about 60% each day).  Temperatures those days will be 39°/22°.   Starting a week from today expect partly cloudy skies with temperatures slowly rising from 44°/23° to 59°/34° over the following week.

Summit Calendar

April 16 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The April meeting of the DSA Board of Directors.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/.  Directions to the meeting are included.

April 18 (Saturday) 10 AM: Public workshop on proposed increases in water and wastewater rates for the Donner Summit Public Utilities District.  Sugar Bowl Judah Lodge – Coldstream Room.  More details can be found at https://www.dspud.org/files/40b501400/2026+Donner+Prop+218_webv2.pdf

May 6 (Wednesday) 3-5:30 PM: Truckee Job Fair at Truckee Community Recreation Center (10981 Truckee Way) for full-time, part time, and seasonal positions.  Prospective employers should e-mail melissa@truckee.com.

May 19 (Tuesday) 6 PM: Public hearing on proposed increases in water and wastewater rates for the Donner Summit Public Utilities District.  Customers who reject the increases must register their opposition before the end of the hearing.  More details can be found at  https://www.dspud.org/

May 21 (Thursday) 5-6 PM:  The May meeting of the DSA Board of Directors.   Find an agenda at https://www.donnersummitca.com/dsa-meetings-info/ early in the week preceding the meeting.  Directions to the meeting will be included.

May 21 (Thursday) 6:30-7:30 PM: Public informational meeting on the proposed cannabis dispensary in the Soda Springs area.  More details will be posted later.

Resorts

Boreal/Woodward: Boreal (the Mountain) and Woodward Outdoor Parks and MTB Trails are closed.  Woodward (The Bunker) is open Wednesday-Friday 1-8 PM and Saturday-Sunday 10 AM – 8 PM.  Check https://www.rideboreal.com for more information.

Sugar Bowl  is closed for the season.  Check  https://www.sugarbowl.com for information on summer activities.

Soda Springs Mountain Resort is closed for the season.  Watch  https://www.skisodasprings.com/ for news.

Royal Gorge is closed for the season.  Tapas Friday and Saturday starts in late June.   Check https://www.royalgorge.com/home for updates.

Donner Ski Ranch is closed for the season.  Its Old 40 Bar and Grill remains open 7 days a week.   Check the DSR web site at https://www.donnerskiranch.com for news.

ASC Training Center (formerly Auburn Ski Club) offers alpine, nordic, snowboard, and biathlon programs including 25 km of groomed trails.  ASC specializes in training for competition and sponsors events.  Check the ASC web site — https://www.asctrainingcenter.org — for more information.

Kingvale Resort (on the south side of I-80 at exit 171) is closed for the season.

Avalanche Report

The Sierra Avalanche Center has posted an information page covering expected conditions through Sunday (April 19).  Today the snow will remain firmer because of lower temperatures.  On Friday-Sunday watch for wet loose avalanche conditions on steep slopes as the day warms and snow becomes slushy.   For more information, visit https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/

Roads

I-80: The freeway is open and in good condition, but there are occasional lane closures for construction — such as after the Gold Run rest area today (April 16).  Plan ahead by following CalTrans reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

General: Paved secondary roads around the Summit should be in good condition.