U.S. West meets early-season big snowfalls

The U.S. West has met early-season big snowfalls, with ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains rejoicing as heavy snow was falling without abatement and Northern California embracing an unusual amount of snowfall.

"No end in sight," reported OutThere Colorado, and "with more snow headed to Colorado," the state's ski resorts were looking forward to a flood of reservations.

Data show that early-season snowfalls translate into increased reservations at resorts. At famed Aspen, Colorado, six inches (15.24 cm) of snow fell Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Steamboat Springs's Ski Resort saw 11 inches (27.94 cm) of snowfall over a 24-hour period, while other resorts saw big accumulations as well.

Meanwhile, Northern California met more snowfalls. Mammoth Mountain, the biggest ski and snowboard resort in the state, had already seen nearly 5 feet (152.4 cm) of snowfall this month. That's more than many ski areas in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest hope to see all season.

A major storm that hit Northern California brought snow to the mountains but also caused challenges for commuters. Interstate 80, an east-west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco to Teaneck of New Jersey, was cut off during weekend.

Moreover, there are several more storms on the horizon.

It was predicted that three storms would hit the California coast and then slowly move inland. Tahoe Lake in California, Colorado and Montana would see huge snowfalls while the other West states including Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and even some parts of Arizona would snow as well.

With the early-season heavy snow, the NWS said an avalanche warning was in effect in Colorado Tuesday, especially around the ski resort Vail, located 160 km from Denver, where four inches (10.16 cm) of snow fell Tuesday.

"An avalanche warning remains in effect for a large portion of our mountains due to the combination of wind and snow creating unstable conditions in the snowpack," OutThere Colorado reported.