Heavy Snow — West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

2025-10-13 to 2025-10-15 · West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

Event narrative

Caltrans measured snow amounts of 7 to 12 inches above 6500 feet, with 2 to 3 inches down to around 5000 feet. The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center estimated 6 to 18 inches of snow above 6500 feet. UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab measured 7.3 inches of snow. Bear Valley Ski Resort measured 21 inches of snow, with 18 inches of snow at Dodge Ridge Ski Area summit. Periods of chain controls were in place along the Sierra mountain passes.

Wider weather episode

An early season storm system brought moderate to heavy snowfall to portions of the southern Cascades and Sierra Nevada mainly above 6500 feet. Storm total snow amounts of 6 to 21 inches were generally observed at and above 6500 feet. Widespread precipitation also brought localized roadway flooding to the lower elevations. The storm arrived on October 13th and lasted through the very early morning hours on October 15th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1293351. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.