Big Bear Valley, CA — It was just eight Fridays ago, when we were buried under five feet of snow—roads were under an R3 requirement, all highways were closed, school was canceled, and power was out—and it seemed this day would never come, but spring arrives this weekend! Since the first of the winter season’s storms began on Friday, November 13, we have received about 113 inches of snow here in the Big Bear Valley, which totals nearly nine-and-a-half-feet altogether, and nearly double the winter snowfall average of 62 inches. In the month of March, however, we have received about eight inches of snow (so far), when an average March tends to bring about 14 inches. Though the weather has tapered off, KBHR’s weatherman Ben Brissey reminds that, in Big Bear, Mother’s Day in May tends to bring us the final snowfall of the year—and, in fact, he says, in the late ’90s we even had a few inches of snow on a Father’s Day in June. You may also recall, in 2008, when we received a cold storm, bringing snow on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. As for the resorts, officials at Big Bear Mountain Resorts tell us that the El Niño winter has set up both Bear Mountain and Snow Summit for a good, long spring with excellent snow conditions—at present, the ski resorts plan to stay open into April, with plans to host another Easter egg hunt on the slopes on Sunday, April 4th. Those who enjoy the view from atop the resorts can also see that the ice is melting on Big Bear Lake and, since that first snowfall in November, lake levels have risen from about 64’ to, now, over 67’ and rising as those nine feet of snow accumulation continue to melt with the arrival of spring on Saturday.
