Experts say a weekslong “snow drought” in Norther California's Sierra Nevada helped set the stage for Tuesday's deadly avalanche, after several feet of new snow fell on an earlier layer that had hardened.

The backcountry trip near Lake Tahoe where eight skiers were killed after an avalanche was led by a tour outfit that promises global mountain adventures including skiing and rock climbing in the wilderness.

Arborists are hoping to transform vacant land on Detroit’s eastside by planting giant sequoias, the world’s largest trees.

Cooler weather is helping firefighters make progress against three Southern California wildfires.

Devastating wildfires are sweeping across Southern California hillsides.

The West Coast’s summer has been interrupted by an unusually cold system from the Gulf of Alaska that dropped down through the Pacific Northwest into Northern California.

A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record in the Sierra Nevada.

A look at how much snow we received this past Winter.

A new storm has swept into California and again forced the closure of scenic Highway 1 in iconic Big Sur where one of its two lanes collapsed into the ocean after heavy rains.

It may officially be spring, but wintry weather is blanketing the U.S. with New England and California seeing a mix of rain, heavy snow and gusty winds.

An atmospheric river developed, dumping snow on the Sierra Nevada in a matter of days.

A major highway is closed again as the effects of a powerful blizzard continue to cause problems across the Sierra Nevada, and forecasters warned more heavy snow is on the way for Northern California.

California authorities shut down 100 miles of Interstate 80 on Friday as the biggest snow storm of the season bore down on the Sierra Nevada.

The most powerful Pacific storm of the season has started barreling into the Sierra Nevada.

Heavy snow has shut down parts of major interstates in northern Arizona while low-lying clouds delayed more than 100 flights farther south in Phoenix.

A major winter storm bringing up to a foot of snow and freezing rain to some communities spread across New England, sending residents scurrying to pull out their shovels and snowblowers to clear sidewalks and driveways.

Crews worked to dig roads, buildings and care home residents out of the mud across a wide swath of Southwestern U.S. desert Monday, after a tropical storm to hit Southern California.

A wolverine was spotted three times last month in the eastern Sierra Nevada, a rare occurrence for an animal that’s only been seen one other time in California over the last 100 years.

Scientists say nearly half of the American West has emerged from drought following a winter marked by heavy snow and several massive rainstorms.

Record snowfall and rain have helped to loosen drought’s grip on parts of the western U.S., even pushing it out altogether in California after consecutive dry years.

Last winter, most ski resorts at Lake Tahoe had to postpone their usual November openings because there wasn’t enough snow.

More rain and snow fell during the weekend in storm-battered California, making travel dangerous and prompting new evacuation orders over flooding concerns along a swollen river near Sacramento.

Below-average snowfall is more common during La Niña winters

A powerful storm is bringing drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of California as the state gets ready to usher in a new year.

A winter storm that sent ski lift chairs swinging and closed mountain highways in the Sierra Nevada will push across the country and reach the Plains by mid-week, bringing significant rain and below-average temperatures.

A winter storm packing powerful winds, heavy rain and potentially several feet of snow is blowing into the Sierra Nevada.

At the 7th annual Basque Fry in Gardnerville, a lineup of GOP national heavyweights and local Nevada politicians fired up a crowd of 1,500 Republicans with a message of urgency.

A spring storm brought several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada and rain to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, with more stormy weather expected this week.

In a rare emergency move, the U.S. government has temporarily declared a Nevada toad endangered, saying a geothermal power plant in the works could result in its extinction.

A thaw-out is coming for the frozen Seattle and Portland, Oregon, but not before another round of snow that could compound problems for a region more accustomed to winter rain than arctic blasts.

Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra Nevada are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters.

Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. has brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada, and unseasonable warmth to Texas and the Southeast.

A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.

Parts of California are getting a White Christmas after all, with snowfall pounding mountains across the state.

California has emerged largely unscathed from drenching rainfall and heavy snow in the mountains as it prepares for a weaker round of storms likely to bring more relief to the drought-stricken state.

This same storm will drive warm air and a chance for mountain showers here later this week

Rain is drenching Southern California as a blustery storm charged down the state, triggering river rescue efforts and raising the threat of mudslides in areas scarred by wildfires.

California's interior is hot and dry and the forecast calls for a risk of fire-starting dry lightning as thousands of firefighters already have their hands full with wildland blazes.

Tens of thousands of people forced to flee South Lake Tahoe because of a California wildfire could begin to return to their homes.

Last week, managers overseeing the fight against the massive wildfire scorching California’s Lake Tahoe region thought they could have it contained by the start of this week.

Better weather is helping in the battle against a huge California wildfire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, a place known the world over as a recreational paradise.

The Caldor Fire near Lake Tahoe can be measured in more than acres burned.

Fire is forcing thousands of people to rush to leave South Lake Tahoe as the entire California tourist city comes under evacuation orders.

Thousands of firefighters are trying to box in a California wildfire that is advancing toward Lake Tahoe and has shrouded the popular vacation spot in ash and yellow smoke.

Ash is raining down on Lake Tahoe and thick yellow wildfire smoke is blotting out its famous postcard views of mountains surrounding pristine blue waters.

More than 13,500 firefighters are working to contain a dozen large California wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of people to flee.

Pacific Gas & Electric says it has begun shutting off power to about 51,000 customers in 18 Northern California counties to prevent wildfires.

Federal wildlife officials have decided to list the Sierra Nevada red fox as an endangered species.

Smoke and ash from massive wildfires in the American West have clouded the sky and led to air quality alerts on parts of the East Coast.

Firefighters are struggling to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave hits the U.S. West this weekend.

Dozens of aftershocks have hit the area between Northern California and Nevada on Friday after a magnitude 6 earthquake the day before.

An atmospheric river storm pumped drenching rains into the heart of California on Thursday as blizzard conditions buried the Sierra Nevada in snow. (Andy Richard/Caltrans District 9 via AP)LOS ANGELES – Evacuations were ordered Thursday in wildfire burn areas prone to mudslides as an atmospheric river storm pumped drenching rain into Southern California while blizzard conditions buried the Sierra Nevada in snow. The system then dropped into Southern California, bringing threats of flash floods and debris flows to areas scorched by recent blazes. AdIn the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, a horse, Staredown, died during training Thursday at Golden Gate Fields in Albany. The atmospheric river is part of a major change in weather for California, which had significant drought conditions for months.

A strong and slow-moving storm system off the West Coast is in prime position to send continuous moisture up the spine of the Sierra Nevada this week. Weather pattern leading up to feet of snow in the Sierra NevadaLocal National Weather Service offices are warning of major travel delays, whiteout conditions and even the possibility of avalanches. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the foothills/mountains of interior NorCal Tue PM - Fri AM. Snowfall will be possible down into the N Sac Valley late Tue - Wed AM w/cities of Redding & Red Bluff receiving multiple inches of snow. Travel is HIGHLY discouraged #cawx pic.twitter.com/T4SLC20mVc — NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) January 26, 2021In addition to the obvious threats that multiple feet of snow brings, this also comes in addition to the ongoing drought out west.

In this photo taken by a drone, homes destroyed by the Mountain View Fire are seen in the Walker community in Mono County, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)LOS ANGELES – A week before Thanksgiving, more than 100 residents were displaced Thursday by a wind-whipped wildfire that ravaged a remote mountain community in California and killed one person, authorities said. By early Wednesday, rain and snow were falling, reducing the fire to smoldering remnants after it scorched over 32 square miles (84 square kilometers). The same ferocious winds, part of winter-like weather that blew into California and Nevada, also sent a wildfire roaring through a neighborhood about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north in Reno, Nevada. The parts of California and Nevada where the wildfires flared are experiencing drought.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Oktoberfest fun was all over Riverfront Park in Lynchburg on Saturday. The Water Dog and The Academy Center of the Arts partnered with Sierra Nevada to bring the event to the Hill City. There was authentic German food, beer, live music, costumes and more. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Time is running out to get tickets to the first of-its-kind of beer fest in Lynchburg. The Water Dog, and the Academy Center of Arts are partnering with Sierra Nevada to bring Oktoberfest to the Hill City at Riverfront Park. There will be German food, beer, music and a costume competition. Organizers want people to know the unique fest isn't just about the beer, but it's about experiencing the culture. For more information on how to get tickets, visit https://www.thewaterdog.com/oktoberfest-2019.