The Big Melt: Crushed houses, trapped cars and the threat of floods – inside California’s buried ski resort
High in the California mountains, a ski resort sits buried under layers of snow and ice. Residents of Mammoth Lakes fear for their lives, and livelihoods, after a winter of record snowfalls.
Wooden houses are blanketed under white powder, cars are buried beneath cement-like drifts, and roads are lined by colossal snow banks stretching up to 50ft tall. Every so often a dagger-like slab of snow or ice will slide from a rooftop and shatter on the ground
They’re used to a lot of snow in Mammoth Lakes. In fact, it’s vital for the economic survival of the town but nobody could have expected what happened this winter.
Residents of Mammoth try to rescue their homes from the huge snowfall
A series of so-called atmospheric rivers – narrow bands of moisture which carry precipitation from the Pacific Ocean over the west coast of the United States – hit California.
These storms have been unusual in their frequency and intensity following a decade of drought, transforming the Golden State into the sodden state.
In Mammoth, the snow fall was three times the historical average. When we visit, a month past the peak, the walls of snow are still as tall as two double decker buses in parts.
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Why is California having such extreme weather?
Steve Searles, known in Mammoth Lakes as the “Bear Whisperer” because of his decades as a wildlife conservationist, has now become a custodian of the community. In his pick-up truck, he is connected to the emergency service radio communications. An alert comes through about part of a house collapsing.
It’s no surprise to Steve.
“This is another one that just went boom,” he says, pointing to the remnants of a house that looks like it exploded but was actually brought down by the sheer weight of the snow.
‘Bear Whisperer’ Steve Searles speaks to Sky News’ Martha Kelner
In his own home, he has dug a path to allow him to open his back door but inside it is dark 24 hours a day because the snow is so tightly packed against the windows. “People here have been living in darkness for months,” he says, “it’s like being squeezed by an anaconda. We kept screaming, ‘help us’ but nobody cut the damn head off.”
But Steve, like everyone here, knows that this is a catastrophe in two parts and the worst is, likely, yet to come.
He points to the snow piled on top of his garage. “This is just over 20,000 gallons of water and that’s only my little roof. There’s nowhere for this water to go when it does start to melt,” he says, “As soon as it goes one or two degrees above freezing at night, then the flooding will begin.”
It is a slow motion disaster and it’s not just the people of Mammoth who are living in fear. The expectation is that once this snow starts to melt, it will send torrents of water gushing downstream.
Houses have been covered in unprecedented snowfall, but the coming melt could devastate the area too
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In California’s central valley, the snow-capped mountains, far in the distance, are a spectre of doom.
The near-record rainfall in California is already transforming the landscape here and that is before the big melt begins.
Corcoran is a town of 25,000 people and home to some of America’s most productive farmland, with an agricultural industry worth $2bn (£1.6bn). It is currently witnessing the remarkable rebirth of Tulare Lake, once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi.
Tulare Lake was drained by farmers before completely disappearing by the mid-part of last century. But it is reappearing with a vengeance, already covering 30 square miles, an area roughly the size of Coventry, it looks like a vast inland sea. Experts predict that over the next couple of months it could grow to 200 square miles.
The flooding here happened too quickly for people to prepare and some workers have returned to the edge of the new lake with rowing boats to try and retrieve their drowned equipment.
California’s high speed rail project swamped by flooding in Tulare County
Jordan Silva is looking for a 40ft long piece of a combine harvester. “This is only from rainwater,” he says, “the snow hasn’t really melted at all. So this is actually kind of nothing right now. It’s going to get way, way worse.”
Beneath the waves are thousands of acres of pistachio trees, alfalfa and wheat fields, including 900 acres belonging to fourth generation farmer Bob Hansen.
On dry land, Bob tells me he is busy devising an evacuation plan for his 20,000 cattle.
“If the temperatures go up and they stay up, we’re done,” Bob says, “We’ve got a historic snowpack and if it were to all come down in a short period of time, the levees won’t hold. There is a very high potential at that point in time that the city of Corcoran goes underwater.”
Bob Hansen is the fourth-generation of farmer in his family – now the weather is putting his livelihood at risk
At the lake’s shoreline, helicopters fly in sandbags and the army, in tractors, are helping shore up the levee to try to protect the city of Corcoran. This area has now been declared a disaster zone.
We are there when the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, pays a visit. Over the past year he has toured wildfires, drought sites and now numerous areas in California that are underwater.
“There’s not a climate expert or a meteorologist that doesn’t say the following: “We’ve never seen this weather at this level of intensity and extreme”. That’s what is exacerbating the conditions that we’re experiencing,” he says.
Farmers have seen their fields and equipment disappear below the water
I ask what he thinks would have to happen for people to believe in climate change. “Just visit California,” he says with a shrug of the shoulders.
Even those who are more sceptical about climate change cannot deny the reality that more water is on its way to California’s central valley, even to the parts already underwater. For the people who live and work here, that is a terrifying prospect.
Donald Trump’s trade war has expanded to cover the world, with 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to the US in effect from today.
The duties were announced in mid-February as stock market investors cheered President Trump‘s ‘America first’ agenda which saw only Mexico, Canada and China come under initial pressure.
While two rounds of tariffs on China have been enacted, 25% duties on some Canadian and most Mexican cross-border trade have been withdrawn until 2 April at the earliest.
The tariffs beginning today are designed to protect US manufacturing and bolster jobs by making foreign-made products less attractive.
They threaten to make the cost of things like cars to soft drink cans – and therefore some drinks – more expensive.
Canada is the biggest exporter of both steel and aluminium to America. However, the White House on Tuesday rowed back on a threat to double the country’s tariff to 50%.
The EU is to retaliate with €26bn of counter tariffs on US goods starting from 1 April, the European Commission said on Wednesday morning.
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she remained open to “meaningful dialogue” with the US.
During Mr Trump’s first term, the bloc countered with charges on products such as bourbon and jeans.
The American tariffs are also a threat to UK steel exports – worth north of £350m annually – with the bulk of that coming from stainless steel.
The business secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed on Wednesday morning that while he was disappointed, there would be no immediate retaliation by the UK government as negotiations continue over a wider trade deal with the US.
“I will continue to engage closely and productively with the US to press the case for UK business interests,” he said.
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Feb: Prices to rise for planes, trains and automobiles
Any fall in demand among US customers will leave producers scrambling for new markets, though some could be directed to domestic projects within the UK.
That steel could prove attractive as China, the world’s largest producer of steel, has threatened to limit its exports in response to the Trump tariffs.
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Carney: ‘Canada will win’
President Trump is under growing pressure to row back, particularly in his planned battle with nearest neighbours Mexico and Canada.
Markets have turned on the tariff regime, with jitters about the effects of higher import prices souring the US economy first being seen through the currency and bond markets.
The dollar has lost around five cents against both the pound and a resurgent euro alone in the past few weeks.
Stock markets have joined in, with the combined market value of the broad S&P 500’s constituent companies down by more than $4trn on the peak seen just last month.
The big fear is that the protectionism will push the world’s largest economy into recession – a scenario Mr Trump did not deny was possible during a weekend interview.
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US firms, already also grappling the complexities associated with an expanding tariff regime, are also letting it be known that they expect damage to their own businesses.
Delta Airlines lowered its first quarter growth forecast on the back of the turmoil this week while US firms are increasingly facing product boycotts.
Travel bodies have also reported a big drop in the number of Canadians crossing the US border, with road trips down by almost a quarter last month compared to February 2023 according to Statistics Canada.
US
Zelenskyy ready to accept ceasefire deal – as US to resume intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to accept a ceasefire deal – as the US says it has immediately resumed intelligence sharing and military aid with Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram after US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia, Mr Zelenskyy said “the American side understands our arguments” and “accepts our proposals” – and that Kyiv “accepts” the US proposal of a full 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
Ukraine war latest: Ball now in Russia’s court, US says
“I want to thank President Trump for the constructiveness of the conversation between our teams,” he said.
“Today, in the conversation, the American side proposed to take the first step immediately and try to establish a full ceasefire for 30 days, not only concerning rockets, drones, and bombs, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line.
“Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, and we are ready to take this step.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to accept the US’ 30-day ceasefire proposal. Pic: Saudi Press Agency / Reuters
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Ukraine agrees 30-day ceasefire
‘Ukraine is ready for peace’
The Ukrainian president then said the US “must convince Russia to do this” and that “if the Russians agree – that’s when the silence will work”.
He added: “An important element of today’s conversation is America’s readiness to restore defensive assistance to Ukraine, as well as intelligence support.
“Ukraine is ready for peace. Russia must show whether it is ready to stop the war or continue it.
“The time has come for the full truth. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, in a joint statement with Kyiv following nine-hour-long talks in Jeddah, the US State Department said it will immediately lift the pause on intelligence-sharing and military aid.
A Ukrainian source told Sky News earlier this month that the US had stopped sharing all intelligence with Kyiv.
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Analysis: A pause in aid for Ukraine
‘Ball is now in Russia’s court’
Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, also told reporters that “the ball is now in Russia’s court” after meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.
After the positive talks, Mr Rubio said “we’re going to take the offer” to Russia, adding: “We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table, Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no.
“I hope they’re going to say yes, and if they do then I think we made great progress.”
‘The ball is now in Russia’s court’ to agree to a ceasefire, Marco Rubio (R) said. Pic: Reuters
He then said that while no deadline has been set, he hopes a deal can be reached “as soon as possible” and that “this is serious stuff, this is not Mean Girls, this is not some episode of some television show”.
“The number one goodwill gesture we could see from the Russians is to see the Ukrainian offer and reciprocate it with a yes,” Mr Rubio added.
National security adviser Mike Waltz also added it is “very clear” that Kyiv shares Donald Trump’s vision for peace and that “they share his determination to end the fighting”.
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Over in the US, Mr Trump said that officials will meet with Russia either today or tomorrow and confirmed he would invite Mr Zelenskyy back to the White House.
“We want to get the Ukraine war over with,” the US president said, before saying he hopes to have a total ceasefire in the coming days.
He also told reporters he thinks he will talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week – but warned “it takes two to tango”.
Donald Trump said ‘we want to get the Ukraine war over with’. Pic: Reuters
Last month, Mr Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three” in an Oval Office meeting.
US vice president JD Vance told the Ukrainian president “you should be thanking” Mr Trump “for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” sparking a tense 10-minute back-and-forth.
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From February: What happened when Trump met Zelenskyy?
A press conference with the two leaders and the signing of an agreement was then cancelled.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to agree to a ceasefire with Russia after successful talks with the US today.
The Ukrainian president said on Telegram that “we are ready to take this step” and said the US “must convince Russia to do this”.
Ukraine war latest: Trump warns Putin ‘it takes two to tango’
Following a meeting with Kyiv officials in Saudi Arabia, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told reporters “the ball is now in Russia’s court” and the next step is for Moscow to agree to terms.
US President Donald Trump said “we want to get the Ukraine war over with” and hopes to have a total ceasefire in the coming days.
But what has been agreed by the US and Ukraine? Here’s what we know so far…
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‘Do you think you’ll get a ceasefire?’
Straight after the nine-hour talks in Jeddah, the US State Department said Washington would immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine.
Mr Zelenskyy confirmed in his post that an “important element of today’s conversation is America’s readiness to restore defensive assistance to Ukraine, as well as intelligence support”.
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Analysis: A pause in aid for Ukraine
As part of their plan, the US said both sides should agree to an immediate 30-day ceasefire which could then be mutually extended.
A joint statement from the US and Ukraine added that Washington “will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace”.
The Ukrainian president added that the proposal was “not only concerning rockets, drones, and bombs, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line” – although the official statement does not mention this.
The statement also makes no mention of territory – despite Ukraine previously calling for Russia to return occupied lands, and the US saying Kyiv might have to concede territory – or the foreign deployment of soldiers in Ukraine for peacekeeping.
The joint statement does say officials discussed aid efforts as part of the peace process, including “the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children”.
Ukraine also reiterated that European partners would be involved in the peace process, and both countries agreed a deal on Kyiv’s minerals and rare earths should “conclude as soon as possible”.
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How many critical minerals does Ukraine have?
What has Ukraine said?
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine agrees to the terms, adding that “the American side understands our arguments” and “accepts our proposals”.
He then said he wanted “to thank President Trump for the constructiveness of the conversation between our teams,” before adding: “Ukraine is ready for peace.
“Russia must show whether it is ready to stop the war or continue it. The time has come for the full truth.”
Zelenskyy met with Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before the US delegation arrived. Pic: Saudi Press Agency / Reuters
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha – who was in Jeddah for the talks – called the meeting a step forward “both on the path to peace and in developing the strategic Ukraine-US partnership” on social media.
And speaking to Sky News’ Mark Austin, Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko added that “we will have to wait and see what comes of it” but that “clearly it’s good news”.
“On first glance it’s amazing,” she said. “If we can get the Russians to agree to a ceasefire for 30 days, then our soldiers on the frontline will have a break…”
However, she said: “In previous years [Russia has] shown an absolute inability to understand what a ceasefire is and to stick to the basic rules of a ceasefire – which means not firing any weapons.”
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What has the US said?
Mr Rubio said the next step is “going to take the offer” to Russia, adding: “We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table, Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no.
“I hope they’re going to say yes, and if they do then I think we made great progress.”
Mr Trump echoed this outside the White House, saying Ukraine has agreed to the “total ceasefire” and that “hopefully Russia will agree to it”.
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‘I’ll talk to Vladimir Putin’
He added that he will speak to Vladimir Putin in the coming days, warning the Russian president that “it takes two to tango”.
How has Russia reacted?
So far, there’s been no official reaction to the proposal other than to acknowledge Mr Trump’s comments about talks within the next week.
But ahead of the breakthrough talks in Jeddah, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Mr Zelenskyy does not want peace.
According to state news agency TASS, Mr Lavrov added: “Mr Zelenskyy publicly declares that he does not want any ceasefire unless the Americans provide him with assurances that they will launch a nuclear strike on Russia if necessary.
“He frames the issue in much the same manner. For now, [a peace talk] is not serious.”
Read more from Sky News:
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Mr Zelenskyy has not called for the US to strike Russia with nuclear weapons, but did say last month that Ukraine should be given them if talks on joining NATO are protracted for years.
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