Snowstorm ploughs through southwest USA by Susan Powell
In the last 48 hours a deep area of low pressure has swung across southwestern states of the US, bringing adverse conditions for many - but it's not all bad news....
Directly in the line of fire for the heaviest snowfall recently have been the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which form the back bone of California. Drivers in the area are, once again, out with the chains and tyres after the arrival of 45cm (18in) of fresh snow. Officials are also warning of avalanche danger for the back country in the central Sierra in the next few days.
Despite near white-out conditions and winds that tossed the chairlifts from side to side, the storm was far more popular with skiers in the regions resorts.
The snowstorms, that have been whipping across the mountains on and off for the over a week, have brought tourists flocking to the slopes to cruise the deep piles of fresh powder.
Over the course of the season, Mammouth, in the Eastern Sierra, has piled up a base of over 5m (16 ft). Some of the more popular runs here, such as Broadway and Goldrush, have piled up at least 30cm (1 ft) over the Easter weekend and have some of the best riding conditions in years.
This is great news for final stop of the competitive alpine skiing season which reaches Mammouth Mountain this week. The 2005 US Alpine Championships events programme features downhill, slalom and super G races.
The conditions should be spot on for those going for gold. The winter storm is now pulling away eastwards to allow calmer and clearer conditions in behind.
The storm itself is now heading towards Colorado - where it is also likely to be welcomed by many, especially in the longer term.
Water levels across the state have suffered greatly in recent years with many areas hit by drought. Snow melt forms a critical part in maintaining the water table, and hence the levels of packed snow are monitored in detail.
Snow survey teams are hitting the states mountains this week to get some of the latest manual readings of the snow pack. Teams are measuring sites all over the state in an effort to confirm what automated readings have already indicated.
Currently, officials say the snow packs along the Front Range of Colorado (part of the Rockies chain) are below normal, whilst basins in southern Colorado are fairing much better with all of them above 100%.
In the Keystone resort area of Colorado, just northeast of Frisco, the survey team has recorded only 60% of normal snow levels. However, despite the low percentage, this is still much better than it has been in the last eight years.
March and April are considered to be the snowiest months in Colorado. Fingers are crossed that levels will get a good topping up in the next few weeks and at least with the storm rolling through in the next few days they should be off to a good start!
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