Memorial Day weekend is supposed to feel like summer. But if you glanced toward the Sierra Nevada this week, the mountains had other plans. A powerful late-season Pacific storm rolled through the Eastern Sierra on May 26 and 27, dropping fresh snow across Mammoth Mountain, the Mono County high passes, and the ridgelines above June Lake, rattling the region with something that looked and felt a lot more like January than late May.
For anyone planning a ski or snowboard trip next winter, it was the best kind of early news. A late-season storm dropping snow at 5,500 feet in late May is not just a weather curiosity. It’s a signal worth paying attention to, because the atmospheric setup that produced it is part of a much larger pattern that is building toward winter 2026-27.
After two years of La Nina conditions that delivered historically poor snowpack across California and the Southwest, forecasters are now tracking a significant reversal. El Nino is now expected to emerge by mid-summer 2026 and persist through at least the end of the year and into winter. Some models are already using the term “Super El Nino” to describe the high-end scenario. Subsurface ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific are already well above average, a key early indicator of the strength of what’s developing.
The historical data is clear: El Nino winters are consistently associated with above-average snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. After a 2025-26 season that left Mammoth and June Lake well below their potential, the pattern is setting up to deliver the kind of winter that reminds people why they fell in love with the mountains in the first place.
Book Early, Book Smart
El Nino winters have a way of generating excitement, and that excitement translates quickly into sold-out weekends and limited availability at the most sought-after properties. If you’ve been on the fence about a winter trip to Mammoth, now is the moment to start looking seriously.
Nomadness Rentals manages over 150 properties across Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and Steamboat Springs, ranging from cozy slope-side condos for two to large mountain homes built for groups. Booking early in a promising season means more options, better pricing, and the peace of mind of knowing your trip is locked in before the first big storm hits the news.
Ready for what could be the Sierra’s best winter in years? Browse our Mammoth Lakes and June Lake properties and lock in your dates before the season books up.
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