General Conditions

Late winter/early spring conditions continue at Donner Summit — except there’s very little base to the snow pack after the March melt.  Daytime highs a week ago were in the low-50s; then they dropped to the mid-30s and a foot of new snow fell.  The wintry weather has moved on, and high temperatures today should be back to the low 50s.

The Central Sierra Snow Lab (https://cssl.berkeley.edu/) reported 3.5 inches of new snow Tuesday morning and another 8.3 inches yesterday morning.  The year-to-date snowfall is 305.5 inches compared to a median 349.2 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 on Donner Summit.  Backcountry skiing remains feasible at 7000 ft and above; but avoid south facing slopes, and beware of snow bridges.  Streams are carrying a lot of water.  There are likely to be fewer stream crossings above 7500 ft, where the snow cover is more consistent.

Sunrise/Sunset: Today’s (April 23) sunrise was at 6:12 AM; sunset will be at 7:46 PM.  Sunrise is 10 minutes earlier than last week and sunset is 7 minutes later, so the days continue to get longer by about 2-1/2 minutes per day.

Star Gazing: The Moon is approaching first quarter; you can find it between the constellations Gemini and Leo this evening.  Leo is “the lion” and the lion’s head and forepaws look like a backward question mark slightly south of overhead at 10 PM.  Slightly north of overhead, look for the Big Dipper.  The bright star-like object to the west of the Moon this evening (and in the middle of Gemini) is the planet Jupiter.  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 predicted high/low temperature range of 52°/26°.  Tomorrow (April 24) will be cooler and there is a chance of afternoon showers; the temperature range will be 40°/26°.  Saturday will be similar but slightly cooler.  There is a 41% chance of snow showers Sunday with a temperature range 37°/25°.  Expect partly cloudy and slightly warmer Monday.  Tuesday will be mostly sunny, and temperatures will rise to about 60°/33° by next weekend before cooling slightly during the following week.  The last few days of April and the first week of May will be a mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy.

Summit Calendar

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/files/40b501400/2026+Donner+Prop+218_webv2.pdf

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.

June 6 (Saturday) 9 AM – Noon: Join with Summit neighbors in trash pickup along Donner Pass Road.  Lunch at the Soda Springs General Store for volunteers.  Details 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) specializes in training for competition and sponsors events.  The ASC Training Center is closed for the season.  Check their 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 26).  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.  Plan ahead by following CalTrans reports at https://roads.dot.ca.gov.

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