First snow of 2024 impacting Northern California roadways, ski resorts

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    SODA SPRINGS, California (KCRA) — The first snowfall of 2024 brought some welcome flurries to the Sierra Tuesday night, including at ski resorts that have been waiting for more snow this ski season.

At Boreal Mountain California, visitors took advantage of the snow up until the ski resort closed for the night at 8 p.m. Tucker Norred, director of marketing for the resort, said Boreal has largely relied on snow-making machines so far this season, so natural snow is great to see.

“We’re really shooting for that 100% open, and with this snow that’s coming in today and then throughout the rest of the weekend, we’re hoping to expand terrain and continue to drop ropes and open more chair lifts,” Norred said.

Norred also said that while business has been relatively good since the resort opened for this season, more now means an even bigger boost to business.

“When Mother Nature shows up, so do the customers as well, and it’s not just great for us, but it’s great for the local economy as well,” Norred said.

Visitors at Boreal Tuesday said they were thrilled to see the snow coming down, and they could not wait to shred down the hills.

“It’s just working perfectly up here,” visitor Jeff O. from the Bay Area said. “Really hoping that the season would kick off early December when we had our first dump, and then not seeing that happen was, you know, a little disheartening for us die-hard skiers, but seeing it finally dump on New Year’s, looks like a great start to 2024.”

On Interstate 80, drivers took it slowly as the snow accumulated on the roadway. The snow fell consistently throughout the night in areas such as Kingvale, Soda Springs and Truckee.

Caltrans snow plows were seen on I-80, with chain controls in effect in the evening on I-80 in both directions between Baxter and Truckee.

Despite the extra precautions needed in snowy conditions, some residents in the Sierra said the first snowfall of 2024 is like a belated Christmas gift.

“It feels good. It feels like a dream come true, honestly,” Soda Springs resident Connor Duggan said.

Stay with KCRA 3’s weather team for the latest updates on the forecast.

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