Snow Drought Set Stage For Deadly Avalanche

Experts say a weeks-long “snow drought” in Northern 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 new snow didn’t bond to the earlier layer before the avalanche near Lake Tahoe killed at least eight back country skiers, said San Jose State University meteorology professor Craig Clements. Six skiers survived and rescuers were searching for another who was still missing. The group was on a three-day back country trek when they were trapped by the avalanche as a winter storm pummeled the West Coast.