This President’s Day storm is now making way for high pressure to build to serve up some blue-bird conditions-- fresh powder and bright sunshine as the week progresses.

The numbers being reported by Tahoe resorts are impressive. In the last nine days, Palisades Tahoe has picked up nearly seven feet of fresh snow. The storms over the past week have been cold with 20-to-1, water-to-snow ratios. In plain English, this means that much of what fell has been exquisite powder.

With all the fresh snow, the U.S. Forest Service in Truckee has issued an Avalanche Advisory calling for high avalanche risk on mountain slopes near and above the tree line in the Central Sierra. Travel near or in avalanche terrain is not recommended at this time and skiers should avoid mountain slopes steeper than 35 degrees. This advisory applies only to backcountry areas, outside of established ski area boundaries.

After one of the driest Januaries on record, this “Fabulous February” is rapidly making up for lost time. In the northern Sierra, February is statistically the second wettest month that normally brings in an average of 74 inches of snow. With twelve more days to go and more wet weather in the forecast later in the month, February is shaping up to be a life-saver for all who depend on, or count on, Tahoe winter sports.

The jury is still out on whether the Sierra will get enough water to end what was looking to be a third year of drought. Much of this February snow has been powder, with low moisture content. Despite the recent snowfall, after the parched January, the water content in the Tahoe Basin snowpack is still hovering at only 71 percent of normal. The Truckee River Basin is a bit worse at 65 percent to date.

Along the Sierra Crest, the storms have added several inches of water to the critical mountain snowpack, boosting the water content on the West Slope to near 80 percent of average for the date. An active, progressive, weather pattern is expected into March, so if this Fab February keeps the storms coming, we may not have to bet the house on a Miracle March to break the drought in the Golden State. Keep your fingers crossed and your skis together.

Mark can be reached at mark@thestormking.com