Early-Season Storm Blankets California Ski Areas (Photos) - Powder | Weather.com

Winter Has Arrived: See How Much Snow Fell at California’s Top Ski Resorts

Palisades Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, and more are enjoying the wintry fruits of an October storm.

  In partnership with Powder Logo

Read more from Powder contributor Ian Greenwood

The snow is settling after the first major Californian storm of the season, and ski resorts across the state are tallying up their powder totals.

Well, some are. Before ski resorts open each year, public snowfall tracking can be a bit spotty. Still, where numbers aren’t available, encouraging webcam images show that, indeed, many of California and Lake Tahoe’s major ski resorts now have top-to-bottom snow coverage.

This is how a few of the best-known mountains have fared over the past few days.

Road clearing near Mammoth Mountain, California on October 14, 2025.
(Source: Dakota Snider, Mammoth Mountain )

Mammoth Mountain

Storm total: 6 to 10 inches

Predicted by forecasters to receive 10 inches or more of snow, Mammoth Mountain hit that mark in some places and fell short in others. Regardless, the top of the mountain looks positively wintry on Wednesday morning, as does the ski resort’s base area.

Diamond Peak’s Summit webcam.
(Source: Diamond Peak)

Diamond Peak (Nevada

Storm total: 7 inches

The north shore classic Diamond Peak tallied seven inches of snow during the storm. “Mid-October storms are always fun!” it wrote in its snow report. We agree.

June Mountain’s J3 webcam.
(Source: June Mountain )

June Mountain

Storm total: 6 inches

Advertisement

Just up the road from Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain picked up 6 inches as the storm passed through. Its slopes are blanketed in white.

Palisades Tahoe’s Scope webcam.
(Source: Palisades Tahoe )

Palisades Tahoe

Storm total: Not published

Palisades Tahoe isn’t publishing snowfall totals for the 2025-26 season quite yet. On the ski resort’s website, each elevation is accompanied by a discouraging-seeming “0 inches” report. But the webcams tell a different story. At Palisades Tahoe, snow fell all the way to the base area. Up high, at 8,200 feet, the coverage looks even better.

Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe’s Main Lodge webcam.
(Source: Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe )

Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe (Nevada)

Storm total: Not published

Like Palisades Tahoe, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe hasn’t updated its snow report. Also like Palisades Tahoe—Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe was hit hard by the latest storm, with powder piling high on the tables at the ski resort’s base area. Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe also began snowmaking last weekend, adding to the excitement.

Heavenly Mountain Resort

Storm total: Not published

Just a few days ago, Heavenly Mountain Resort posted a few picturesque photos of its slopes on Instagram, writing, “Only one thing missing here…” Snow, of course, was the missing thing. And just after its post, Heavenly got its wish. The resort’s totals haven’t been posted. Nonetheless, winter has arrived.

Advertisement