Pacific storms continue to feed Sierra Nevada snowpack

The snow piling onto the Sierra Nevada could be considered more of a snow pile-on at this point.

That’s because several feet of white powder have accumulated across the range since the beginning of the month, adding to what has become one of the most bountiful winters California has had in a decade.

The entire Sierra snowpack sits at 141 percent of its seasonal average and already is above its April 1 benchmark, which is considered the end of California’s rainy season and when plans for how to allocate the snowmelt to farmers through the summer kicks into high gear.

Heavenly ski resort at Lake Tahoe received 15 inches of snow Saturday and Sunday and more than 9 feet in the past week, the resort said on Twitter.

In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol was forced to pace vehicles traveling the Tejon Pass after this weekend’s storm dropped snow levels to 2,500 feet, enough to trigger black ice and snow concerns in the Grapevine.

Since Feb. 1, California has received roughly 18 trillion gallons of water, enough to fill up 45 percent of Lake Tahoe, the National Weather Service said.