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Heat and Thin Snowpack Shut Two California Ski Areas Early

A depleted snowpack meets a forecast heat wave that threatens further melt, compressing an already short season.

Overview

  • Dodge Ridge plans to halt operations at 4 p.m. Sunday, citing unseasonably warm conditions and rain that erased recent snowfall.
  • The resort said any reopening would depend on a significant late-season storm, and passholders may use sister mountains Bear Valley and China Peak, with a free guest day offered Sunday.
  • Mt. Shasta Ski Park ended its season Saturday after logging 55 of 60 guaranteed days, triggering credits for season passholders.
  • California’s snowpack measured about 48% of normal statewide by Friday, with the northern Sierra at roughly 28–31% of average for mid-March.
  • Forecasters expect a mid-March heat wave starting Monday to push mountain temperatures into the 60s and 70s, accelerating melt as most Tahoe resorts target mid-April closures.