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By RUTH HEIDE

SAN LUIS VALLEY — The biggest snowstorm of the season benefited the ski areas and the snowpack.

Thursday’s snowstorm brought fresh powder to ski areas near the San Luis Valley such as Wolf Creek and Monarch.

Preliminary snowfall statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Climatic Data Center showed reports of 3-5 inches in parts of Alamosa County and as much as 7 inches in neighboring Rio Grande County.

Colorado Ski Country USA’s 22 member resorts experienced double-digit accumulation, with many resorts reporting over one foot of new snow within a 24-hour period from Thursday to Friday.

The snowstorm left 28 inches at Wolf Creek. The new snow at Wolf Creek brings that mountain up to nearly 400 inches of snow for the season. Wolf Creek hosts a fun race today, March 28.

Monarch Ski Area reported 15 inches from this storm bringing its year to date total to 287.5 inches.

“Timing is perfect for spring breakers and spring skiing enthusiasts,” said Melanie Mills, President and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “Colorado is known for its consistent snow conditions and this weekend’s accumulation shows that the season is far from over.”

The spring storm also bolstered the snowpack in the Rio Grande Basin. Previous to the snowstorm, the Upper Rio Grande Basin snowpack had dropped to 94 percent of average according to Colorado Division of Water Resources Acting Division Engineer for Division III Craig Cotten.

The last few days brought the basinwide snowpack up to 99 percent of average, he added. The latest readings were between 12 and 6 a.m. on Friday, so the snowpack may have actually hit 100 percent of average. “It helped some,” Cotten said. “Every little bit helps.”

“We had been dropping on snowpack,” Cotten said. “It had been melting and the percentage had been going down.” The last snowstorm not only brought snow but cooler temperatures to slow down the snowmelt, he said.

Cotten said many of the SNOTEL sites dropped below 100 percent, but the sites farther south on the Conejos River are showing the highest readings with the highest at the Cumbres Trestle sitting at 125 percent of average. “So the Conejos is looking fairly good, and overall we are looking to be in decent shape,” Cotten said.