Massive Storm Incoming: 3-5 Feet for the Sierra This Week

Category: Storm Tracking | Reading Time: 5 min | Tags: storms, sierra, tahoe, mammoth, powder

The National Weather Service just lit up the map. Winter Storm Warnings across the Sierra Nevada, Winter Weather Advisories stretching from Oregon to Idaho. If you're anywhere near the western mountains this week, pay attention.

This isn't a casual dusting. This is a multi-day siege.

The Numbers

Lake Tahoe Basin:

• 2-3 feet in the basin, heavier on the west shore
• 3-5 feet above 7,000 feet along the Sierra crest
• Ridge gusts over 100 mph
• Duration: Sunday night through Wednesday night

Mono County (Mammoth Mountain area):

• 1-3 feet along and west of US-395
• 3-5 feet at the highest elevations along the Sierra crest
• Winds gusting to 60 mph, up to 70 mph in wind-prone spots
• Ridge gusts? Over 100 mph. Again.

Sun Valley, Idaho:

• Winter Weather Advisory through Monday evening
• Moderate accumulations expected in the Sawtooth and Stanley Basin

Oregon Cascades:

• Winter Weather Advisory for the east slopes
• Blue Mountains also getting hit

What This Means for Skiing

Monday is going to be chaos. The NWS is calling for "very difficult to impossible" travel conditions with white-out periods. That means road closures on I-80 over Donner Pass are basically guaranteed. Highway 395 will be a mess.

But Tuesday and Wednesday? If the resorts can dig out and the roads reopen, we're talking about some of the best powder days of the season. A 3-5 foot dump at elevation is the kind of reset that turns a mediocre season into a memorable one.

The storm comes in two waves -- the first hits hard Monday afternoon through Monday night, then a second pulse arrives Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Back-to-back punches.

Resorts in the Crosshairs

The biggest winners here will be the Tahoe resorts -- Palisades, Sugar Bowl, Kirkwood -- and Mammoth Mountain. Mammoth especially has been on a heater this season, and another 3-5 feet at the summit is just absurd.

Sun Valley gets a more modest dose but any fresh snow in February is welcome news.

The Oregon Cascades resorts -- Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood Meadows -- should see solid accumulation too, though the advisory suggests lower totals than the Sierra.

The Catch

100+ mph ridge gusts aren't just a number on a forecast. That's lift-closing, rope-dropping wind. Monday will almost certainly mean upper mountain closures at Tahoe resorts and potentially at Mammoth too. The skiing will be incredible after the storm passes, but during it? Hunker down.

If you're planning a mid-week trip, Wednesday or Thursday could be the sweet spot -- fresh snow, lighter winds, and the kind of conditions that make you skip work without a second thought.

Storm Tracker

Check our storms page for live NWS radar loops covering the Sierra, Rockies, and Pacific Northwest. We'll update as conditions develop.

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Data sourced from NWS Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories issued February 15, 2026.