Winter in the Sierra Nevada has kicked off somewhat disappointingly. Natural snow has yet to fall in December as ski areas are desperately running snow blowers to avoid shutting down before the holidays.

But don’t put away your snow boots or skis just yet. Long-range weather models for the last two weeks of the year are sparking glimmers of hope in forecasters like Bryan Allegretto.

“Today was probably the first time I had a positive attitude (about the weather),” Allegretto said. “I’m feeling better, I was pretty down a few days ago.”

Here’s what to know.

Data from UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab shows that, as of Thursday, Dec. 11, the Soda Springs research facility has only gotten 22 inches of snowfall in the 2026 water year, which started Oct. 1.

That represents only 43% of

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