How much snow fell in the mountains above the Coachella Valley and beyond?

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·4 min read
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After the recent snow storm, the National Weather Service released three-day snowfall totals for Southern California, including the mountains surrounding the Coachella Valley.

While most of the valley only saw rain and hail, higher elevations in the San Bernardino Mountains received nearly 5 feet of snow.

The following is a sampling of snow totals from just this week's storms as of Thursday morning and gathered from automated gauges, according to the NWS.

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

  • The Long Valley Ranger Station at the top of the tram is reporting 18 inches of new snow since March 1, and 50 inches since Feb. 22, according to Casey Oswant, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service San Diego office.

Idyllwild

  • The Idyllwild area is reporting 12-17 inches of new snow over the past few days, and 34 inches over the past week, according to Oswant.

ICYMI:Rare avalanche spotted on Mount San Jacinto above Coachella Valley

San Bernardino Mountains

  • Snow Summit in Big Bear, at the 7,100 to 8,200-foot elevation level, received 59 inches of snow.

  • Lake Arrowhead, at the 5,170-foot elevation level, received 41 inches of snow. Total snowfall is 110 inches

  • Big Bear City, at the 6,800-foot elevation level, received 30 to 40 inches. Total snowfall is 134 inches.

  • The Forest Falls area, at the 5,900-foot elevation level, received 40 inches. Total snowfall is 76 inches.

  • The “Crestline Yard” area, at the 4,850-foot elevation level, received 37 inches of snow. Total snowfall is 100 inches.

  • Running Springs, at the 6,200-foot elevation level, received 28 inches of snow. Total snow fall is 150 inches.

San Gabriel Mountains

  • Wrightwood received 27 inches of snow at the 5,900-foot elevation level. Total snowfall is 58 inches.

  • The Mt. High Ski resort received 12 to 22 inches of snow at the 7,000 to the 8,000-foot level.

  • The Mt. Baldy area received 14 inches of snow at the 4,200 feet level. Total snowfall 107 inches.

High desert

  • Phelan received 6 inches of snow at the 3,900-foot level.

  • Hesperia received 6 inches of snow at the 3,186-foot level.

  • Helendale received .16 inches of snow at the 2,428 level.

  • Locations like Adelanto, Lucerne Valley, Victorville, Apple Valley and Oro Grande, all below 3,000 feet, received less than 0.12 inches of snow.

San Bernadino County scrambles to deal with the snow

Emergency crews in San Bernadino County continue to scramble to shuttle food and medicine to mountain communities stranded by back-to-back winter storms that have dumped so much snow some residents can barely see out their windows.

Around-the-clock plowing is underway but it could take more than a week to reach some areas, said Dawn Rowe, chair of the county’s board of supervisors. Residents are dealing with as much as 7 feet (2 meters) of snow, and sheriffs’ authorities have conducted 17 rescue operations to help off-roaders and skiers. Emergency crews are trying to reach residents who need assistance.

More:Help arrives for residents of snow-filled San Bernardino Mountains

In Crestline, the entire roof of Goodwin and Sons Market collapsed as safety inspectors were onsite checking up on reported damage. Officials raced to salvage food that residents sorely need from its shelves.

Rowe said no one was injured.

“We know that roofs are starting to collapse,” she said. “There are other businesses that will likely be affected by the weight of the snow.”

The county has set up a hotline for residents dealing with issues like frozen pipes, roof problems and food shortages. The San Bernardino Mountains are a major tourism and recreation destination but also home to a large year-round population in small cities and communities around lakes and scattered along winding roads. About 80,000 people live either part- or full-time in the communities affected, said David Wert, a county spokesman.

Reprieve was on the way as the mountain community continued to dig out, with much of California expecting drier weather over the weekend. A key mountain section of Interstate 5, a major north-south highway, reopened following closures due to snowy conditions, while blizzard warnings expired in the Sierra Nevada further north.

Anthony Cimino, a 51-year-old retiree, said he’s been snowed in for about a week in the mountain community of Running Springs. He finally managed to clear his decks, but not for long.

“I woke up this morning and there was another two-and-a-half feet on them,” he said. “It was kind of like Groundhog Day.”

Residents of these towns are grappling with so much snow they’re running out of space to put it; clearing one area adds heaps to another. Grocery shelves had run bare of some items, like bread, and were running low on eggs and milk. Cars remained buried under snow and roads closed.

At David and Kelli Góra’s home in Big Bear Lake, the snow on the roof is now touching the snow on the ground. They shoveled a small area to let their dogs go outside, but are mostly hunkered down.

“We’ve been through some big storms … but this is just unreal,” David Góra said. “I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere.”

Kate Franco of The Desert Sun and The AP contributed to this report.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: How much snow fell in the mountains above Palm Springs?