Late-Season Storm Delivers Heavy Snow to Western US Mountains

A late-season winter storm system swept across the western United States this week, delivering heavy snowfall to mountain regions from California's Sierra Nevada to the Northern Rockies, prompting widespread warnings for hazardous travel and gusty winds through Friday.

The storm first hammered California's eastern Sierra Nevada over the weekend, accumulating more than 3.5 feet of snow in some areas and briefly shutting down Interstate 80 due to blizzard conditions. The California Department of Water Resources reported that the Sierra snowpack, which supplies about one-third of the state's annual water needs, stood at just 18 percent of average on April 1, the second-lowest reading on record for that date. Although the recent precipitation boosted levels to around 11 percent in the northern Sierra, 25 percent in the central portion and 28 percent in the south by midweek, officials noted the overall water year remains well below average following a record warm March that accelerated melting. At Mammoth Mountain ski resort, the snowfall extended the season, with 11 lifts operating Monday amid clearing skies and potential for a few more inches. Resort officials cautioned skiers to...