SIERRA HIT BY RECORD SNOWFALL

“Snowbound” was not a term Stephen Kulieke thought he would hear at the end of California’s driest year in a century, but that’s precisely the position the Sierra City resident found himself in this week.

“It’s snowmaggedon,” said Kulieke, 71, whose mountain cabin was buried under at least 4 feet of powder Monday amid record-breaking snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. “It’s just beyond belief how much snow there is.”

Officials at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab at Donner Pass said the area’s snowfall totals have surpassed the previous December record of 179 inches set in 1970. By Tuesday morning, the lab had received a whopping 202.1 inches of snow, making it the third-snowiest month on record.

The snow comes as a much-needed surprise for the bone-dry West, where only months ago, officials put residents under a state of drought emergency.

But December roared in like a lion, with back-to-back storms dumping up to 15 feet of snow across the Sierra Nevada and other mountain areas of California. Though experts wouldn’t go so far as to call it a drought-buster, they said every bit helps.

Though welcome, the snowfall has also proven dangerous. There have been rockfalls, road closures and multivehicle pileups as the latest storm barreled through the state from north to south.

Highway 50 near South Lake Tahoe was backed up and “at capacity” Tuesday, officials said. Residents were urged to stay home or face delays of up to 10 hours. Other highways were completely blocked, including Interstate 80, which was closed much of the day Tuesday from Colfax to the Nevada state line.

In South Lake Tahoe, officials activated the city’s emergency operations center and warned drivers against unnecessary travel as basic services were strained or overwhelmed.