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Photos: Record snowfall blankets Sierra Nevada

People wait for a shuttle on Main Street in Mammoth Lakes
People wait for a shuttle on Main Street in Mammoth Lakes, where winter storms have dropped between 7 to 9 feet of new snow since Dec. 23.
(Cody Mathison/Visit Mammoth)
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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Dangerously low snowpack levels in the Sierra took a turn for the better as the state Department of Water Resources reported on Monday that the snowpack was between 145% and 161% of normal across the range, with more snow expected.

At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall had smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches, set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches, and more snow is expected.

The Northstar California Resort in Truckee closed its mountain operations on Monday amid blizzard conditions. The ski resort has received more than 6 feet of snow over the last 48 hours, according to the resort’s Facebook post.

Ski patrolman Mark Cionek performs snow safety checks
Ski patrolman Mark Cionek performs snow safety checks at Palisades Tahoe on Dec. 26.
(Steve Shepp / Palisades Tahoe)
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A California Highway Patrol vehicle drives through snow
A California Highway Patrol vehicle drives through snow at Donner Summit on Dec. 25. Interstate 80 was closed over the Sierra Nevada due to whiteout conditions.
(CHP Truckee)
The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs
The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs surpassed the previous record of 179 inches of snow set in December 1970 with a new total of 194 inches.
(UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab)
A truck is buried under snow
A truck is buried under snow at Tahoe Donner.
(Jared Abelson)
Three people ride on a ski lift
Those lucky enough to make it up to the Palisades Tahoe Resort on Christmas Day were treated to powder conditions.
(Kate Abraham / Palisades Tahoe)
A road sign is buried in Mammoth Lakes, where the resort town has received 7 to 9 feet of new snow
A road sign is buried in Mammoth Lakes, where the resort town has received 7 to 9 feet of new snow.
(Sammy Deleo/Mammoth Mountain)
Mammoth Lakes, where the resort town has received 7 to 9 feet of new snow since Dec. 23.
A person and their dog brave the elements in Mammoth Lakes.
(Sammy Deleo/Mammoth Mountain)
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A vehicle sits stuck in the snow on Dec. 27, 2021.
A vehicle sits stuck in the snow along Brunswick Road and Sutton Way on Dec. 27 in Grass Valley.
(Elias Funez/Associated Press)
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