Season Progress Report as of November 7, 2009

Nov 08, 09 10:21 PM

October was colder and snowier than average, so some areas have opened earlier than normal. However, open terrain is mostly from snowmaking. California: The Sierra had a major mid-October storm but with average snow level of 10,000 feet. Mammoth got 34 inches and opened Oct. 16-18, then closed in warm weather until a snowmaking reopening of about 5% of terrain on Nov. 7. The upper mountain has a natural base from the earlier storm. Boreal, Mt. High and Bear Mt. have opened limited snowmaking runs. Pacific Northwest: Whistler is being hit by major storms expected to continue through the week. An early opening Nov. 14 is likely with 4+ feet of snow at higher elevation by then. Mt. Bachelor has had 14 inches from the current storm after 23 inches in October. Natural base depths in Washington and Oregon are already 1.5 - 2 feet, so more early openings may be possible after expected snow this week. Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Lake Louise opened a run on snowmaking Nov. 7 and has had 17 inches natural snow. Sunshine has had 45 inches and will open Nov. 11. Sun Peaks has a 25 inch base plus snowmaking and will open Nov. 14. Revelstoke has had 31 inches and Red Mt. 21. Western Canada has had more early snow than normal. U. S. Northern Rockies: Early snow totals of 48 inches at Targhee and 40+ at Jackson are ahead of schedule. Utah: The Cottonwood Canyons had about 40 inches of October snow. This is above average but some of it has melted off and the first lift served skiing is on a snowmaking beginner run at Solitude Nov. 7. Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland opened its first snowmaking run Oct. 6. Loveland is currently 6% open and A-Basin 3%. This week Copper (3%) and Keystone (3%) also opened on snowmaking. Early snow totals: Loveland 19.5, Copper 23. Southern and Western Colorado: Wolf Creek has had 48 inches snow and opened Oct. 31. Base depths are still a fairly thin 18-20 inches. The Gothic Snow Lab between Aspen and Crested Butte had 42.5 inches of October snow but now has only one inch of base. Northeast: Cold October weather allowed Sunday River to open on snowmaking Oct. 16. Killington is also 5% open now with 6 inches natural snow so far. Le Massif has had 23 inches.

Season Progress Report as of November 7, 2009

Nov 08, 09 10:21 PM

October was colder and snowier than average, so some areas have opened earlier than normal. However, open terrain is mostly from snowmaking. California: The Sierra had a major mid-October storm but with average snow level of 10,000 feet. Mammoth got 34 inches and opened Oct. 16-18, then closed in warm weather until a snowmaking reopening of about 5% of terrain on Nov. 7. The upper mountain has a natural base from the earlier storm. Boreal, Mt. High and Bear Mt. have opened limited snowmaking runs. Pacific Northwest: Whistler is being hit by major storms expected to continue through the week. An early opening Nov. 14 is likely with 4+ feet of snow at higher elevation by then. Mt. Bachelor has had 14 inches from the current storm after 23 inches in October. Natural base depths in Washington and Oregon are already 1.5 - 2 feet, so more early openings may be possible after expected snow this week. Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Lake Louise opened a run on snowmaking Nov. 7 and has had 17 inches natural snow. Sunshine has had 45 inches and will open Nov. 11. Sun Peaks has a 25 inch base plus snowmaking and will open Nov. 14. Revelstoke has had 31 inches and Red Mt. 21. Western Canada has had more early snow than normal. U. S. Northern Rockies: Early snow totals of 48 inches at Targhee and 40+ at Jackson are ahead of schedule. Utah: The Cottonwood Canyons had about 40 inches of October snow. This is above average but some of it has melted off and the first lift served skiing is on a snowmaking beginner run at Solitude Nov. 7. Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland opened its first snowmaking run Oct. 6. Loveland is currently 6% open and A-Basin 3%. This week Copper (3%) and Keystone (3%) also opened on snowmaking. Early snow totals: Loveland 19.5, Copper 23. Southern and Western Colorado: Wolf Creek has had 48 inches snow and opened Oct. 31. Base depths are still a fairly thin 18-20 inches. The Gothic Snow Lab between Aspen and Crested Butte had 42.5 inches of October snow but now has only one inch of base. Northeast: Cold October weather allowed Sunday River to open on snowmaking Oct. 16. Killington is also 5% open now with 6 inches natural snow so far. Le Massif has had 23 inches.

December 7, 2008 Season Progress Report

Dec 08, 08 12:42 AM

October was mostly average, with small amounts of snow in many regions but nothing that will impact the season. At the end of the month a major storm hit the West Coast, but snow levels averaged 9,000 feet, so only Mammoth was able to open some natural terrain from it. The storm moved on to Utah, where the Cottonwood Canyon resorts received nearly 4 feet of snow, allowing Snowbird to open Nov. 7. The storm continued into Colorado, but the snowfall there averaged about a foot. There was scattered snow during the second week of November but next 2 weeks were dry and warm. Therefore at most western areas Thankgiving skiing was marginal. After a mostly dry first week of December overall western snowfall and open terrain are 2-3 weeks behind schedule and several major areas are not yet open. Therefore well below average conditions are likely for the Christmas holidays unless remaining December snowfall is substantially above average. Front Range/I-70 Colorado is the major exception to the grim picture, as a series of storms since Thanksgiving have brought most of these areas close to average in terms of both snowfall and open terrain. California: Mammoth received 21 inches of snow near its base and opened a run Nov. 2. But much more fell on the upper mountain, which opened Nov. 7. The solid upper mountain base held up through a warm couple of weeks, and Mammoth was 40% open (the most acreage in North America) after 3 more lower mountain chairs opened on snowmaking by Thanksgiving. The big early November storm was nearly all rain at Tahoe, and with ensuing warm weather only Boreal and Mt. Rose opened for Thanksgiving on a very restricted basis, followed by Heavenly later in the weekend. Tahoe areas should be avoided until well into January unless there is a substantial dump, as evidenced by snow leaders Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl and Alpine Meadows still being closed. See Current California Ski Conditions for more details on Southern California and Mammoth, which is still skiing well with snowmaking maintaining surfaces over the mostly month-old natural base. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Squaw 8,000 31 41% 1% Kirkwood 28 36% closed Mammoth 47 74% 40% Southern Cal 2 17% 0-2% Arizona Snowbowl 20 56% closed Pacific Northwest: Whistler opened for Thanksgiving, but only 5% on snowmaking trails. Mt. Bachelor is still closed because its base area has only a 8-inch base. These 2 areas have a fair chance to be OK by Christmas if predicted moderate storms add to current upper mountain base depths. Other Northwest areas are lower altitude and will need major storms to get going. Recent snow levels throughout the region have been too high, so no one in Washington or Oregon is open. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Whistler 62 72% 5% Mt. Hood Meadows 32 37% closed Mt. Bachelor 52.5 67% closed Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Lake Louise opened a run on snowmaking Nov. 8 and was 5% open through November, followed by Sunshine opening Nov. 15 with somewhat more terrain. More runs have opened this week after a foot of new snow. The new Revelstoke area has had 66 inches and opened about 1/4 of terrain for Thanksgiving. None of the Kootenay areas are open yet, due to low snow and likely Northwest rain. SunPeaks and Apex have limited terrain open on snowmaking. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Lake Louise 39 99% 21% Sunshine 42 79% est 50% Kicking Horse 50 79% closed Fernie 15 18% closed Red Mt. 24 54% closed U. S. Northern Rockies: Currently only Targhee (35%), Big Sky (5%) and Jackson (5%) are open. As in the Northwest and Canada other areas have had too little snow and excessive rain at lower elevations. Only Targhee is a favorite to be in good shape by Christmas, with other areas 3-4 weeks behind schedule. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Whitefish 24 36% closed Grand Targhee 63 72% 35% Jackson Hole 48 60% 5% Schweitzer 18 34% closed Sun Valley 11 28% closed Utah: Snowbird opened Nov. 7 after a storm of nearly 4 feet. After more snow the next week, all 4 Cottonwood areas were open for the weekend of Nov. 15-16 (ranging from 39% at Alta to 11% at Solitude). Surface conditions were variable after 2 weeks of no new snow, but a few inches over Thanksgiving weekend resurfaced much of Alta and allowed Supreme to open. Park City delayed its opening to November 29 because it was often too warm to make snow. The Cottonwood areas rate to be in decent shape by Christmas with normal December snow, but other Utah areas should be avoided until January. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Alta 81 81% 70% Snowbird 72 82% 50% Brighton/Solitude 52 55% 28% Snowbasin 42 65% 10% Park City 21 41% 3% Brian Head 16 26% 5% Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland and A-Basin opened their first snowmaking runs Oct. 15. Copper and Breckenridge also opened on snowmaking Nov. 8, and Vail and Winter Park opened Nov. 22. Historical snowfall leaders Steamboat, Vail and Winter Park are normally about 1/4 open by Thanksgiving, but everyone in the region was well under 10% open this year. The Thanksgiving weekend storm dropped an average of 2 feet, with 4 feet at Loveland. With another foot+ last week, substantially more terrain has opened, so this region is now on track for an average holiday season. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Beaver Creek 72 102% 43% Breckenridge 54 97% 44% Copper Mt. 64 121% 30% Keystone 42 120% 23% Loveland 72 113% 66% Steamboat 62 78% 41% Vail 71 89% 47% Winter Park 70 88% 11% Southern and Western Colorado: Aspen, Telluride and Taos opened a handful of snowmaking runs for Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving weekend storm averaged about 1.5 feet, allowing Wolf Creek to open most terrain (though on a modest 20-inch base), but only Aspen received much snow last week. Most of this region is far below average, and it will take a huge December like last year to get many of the steeper runs open by New Year's. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Aspen 53 114% 12% Crested Butte 23 50% 12% Gothic Snow Lab 41.5 64% N/A Telluride 51 108% 4% Wolf Creek 38 55% 100% Taos 26 48% 4% Northeast: Natural snow in late October totalled 11 inches at Stowe and Jay Peak. Sunday River opened Oct. 31 and Killington opened Nov. 2 on snowmaking. Weather then turned warm and rainy, so Killington closed after 5 days while Sunday River maintained marginal operation on weekends. With 2 cold weeks and 1-3 feet of new snow, many eastern areas had more runs open than normal for Thanksgiving. Surfaces are variable from mixed rain/snow last week, but some trail counts are still increasing. Percents open: Sunday River 31%, Hunter 53%, Whiteface 27%, Okemo 34%, Stratton 47%, Tremblant 40%, Ste. Anne 35%. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Jay (average) 56 77% 67% Mansfield Stake 37 75% 19% Sugarbush 35 63% 29% Killington 65 154% 44% Cannon Mt. 26 82% 17% Sugarloaf 29 76% 59% Other season snow totals: Tremblant 33, Whiteface 21, Okemo 27, Stratton 32.

QUICK LOOK AT VERMONT WEATHER NEXT 1-2 WEEKS

Dec 07, 08 07:17 AM

Powder to packed powder conditions exist across most of Vermont with loose granular conditons at Bolton Valley, Burke Mountain, Okemo, Smugglers' Notch. Sugarbush has 32 of 111 trails open as of early Sunday morning; Stowe 22 of 116 trails; with Killingotn the most-62 trails open.An intense storm system is several hundred miles off the south New Jersey coast this morning. The fact it is so far east, limits the amount of heavy snow that would fall across New England. Nevertheless, an upper level disturbance swinging across southern New England and very cold air from the Great Lakes will help to create Lake Effect and mountain enhanced snows through later this afternoon. Up to 6-10" might fall by early this evening at Jay Peak with at least 3-6" at Stowe, Smugglers' Notch and some 1-4" across the White Mountains of New Hampshire and across central Vermont, such as Killington. Sometimes, heavier snows could fall with lake effect. Strong winds of 30-40 MPH will usher down the coldest weather of the season with readings falling into the single numbers for lows by Monday am across northern New England and even cold above 3,000 feet.As warmer air attempts to move north byu Tuesday, light snow will dot northern and central New England, in which places like Sugarbush to Stowe and Jay Peak could see 1-4" and perhaps a dusting to 2" across areas like Stratton to Okemo. Some computer models then have a pretty modest ice event of central Vermont, snow and ice in the north and rain in the southern areas during Tuesday night and Wednesday as readings warm into the low 30's north and low 40's south. Winds could pick up to 30-40 MPH Wednesday and could perhaps be even warmer. This will cause freeze-thawing across most of New England. Temps will fall back again by Friday and the weekend of the 13th and 14th with light snows and improved snow-making but some hard-pack conditions.Given a lack of a Greenland Block--or negative NAO index, as we call it, I don't expect any major 1-2 foot dumps over the next week or two, but there should be several chances for light snow at places like Jay Peak, Stowe to Burke Mountain as we head through the weekend of the 13th-14th and again around the 16th or 17th, while central and southern Vermont, sees more frequent freeze-thawing into mid-month and mixed precipitation from Killington south to Okemo, Mt. Snow, Acutney, etc. Just before Christmas, depending on a northern Pacific ridge and how far north she is, it is "possible" a slightly more consistent colder pattern could ensue for the Northeast with possibly a bit more snow, but until then, freeze-thawing and varying temps will be the rule with the best powder being across the Canadian/N. Vermont border.One note, on Thursday the 12th..a storm system will be heading northast of D.C. and this could bring some light snow to the Berkshires and far southern New England while most of Vermont sees just flurries over southern sections and dry weather up north with seasonable late week temps. Again, by about the 14th, a clipper could bring a few inches of nice powder to central and northern areas, to next weekend may see some improvement, but crusty in spots due to this week's freeze-thawing, especially over central and southern VermontRoemer

More active pattern could blast the west after the 13th of December. A look at the PDO Index and late December weather for New England-Roemer

Dec 05, 08 08:24 AM

PATTERN CHANGE FOR THE WEST AFTER THE 12TH OR 13THIf you are planning on heading out west to the Cascades, Heavenly, Lake Tahoe, Snowbird, Alta (for example), you will be in luck after about the 13th-15th of December as a pattern change will occur. Major snows, in excess of 1-2 feet may blast areas like Mt. Baker, Crystal Mountain to the Tahoe region and perhaps at least 6-12" of snow and maybe a whole lot more in the Cottonwood Valley of Utah to California. Alot more will be needed, but at least this is a start.For the last few weeks,a strong eastern Pacific ridge, for the most part has blocked major storms from entering into places like Utah and sections of British Columbia, Alberta and the Cascades. WHAT IS THE PDO INDEX?Due to a climatological phenomena known as the PDO (Pacific Decadel Oscillation Index), historically, but not always, any strong eastern Pacific ridge, that would normally block storms, begins to break down later in December or January. In turn, this often opens the door for more important snows from the Tetons and Utah and the Cascades and occasionally throughout the Sierras. Though this is not written in stone, and teleconnections (As meteorologists call them) can vary from solar acivity to La Nina (right now we have a very weak La Nina at best). The east, on the hand, tends to see more freeze-thawing. Hence, after some great early season skiing the next 10 days, much of New England may see wide temperature swings and freeze thawing into mid-late month. Some snow? Yes, but also mixed precip and thawing, especially over central and southern New England after the 13th or 14th. In fact, even the middle of next week we will see readings back into the 30's to near 40 for a few days over parts of central and southern New England

JACKSON HOLE TO COLORADO AND NEW ENGLAND TO GET NICE SNOWS...COMPLEX EASTERN SYSTEM AROUND THE 10TH-11TH--ROEMER

Dec 03, 08 05:43 PM

Very often, Jackson Hole gets their best snow on a NW flow with moisture coming in off the Pacific and cold high pressure moving across the Midwest. A series of disturbances this weekend and especially Monday, may bring 1-2 feet of snow to the Tetons and it is really needed. It is possible that in about 8-10 days, another huge snowfall could hit the Tetons to Big Sky Montana, with cold air daming to the east of the Rockies and Tetons.A foot or more of snowfall will fall from Vail to Steamboat Springs and much of northern Colorado by Mid-Late December, the main cold weather will be over the Midwest with the storm track in the east coast. After decent snows coming up this weekend, an intense storm could bring huge rains to parts of the east coast around December 10th or 11th with widespread big snows of 1-2 feet in parts of NW New England. Roger Hill and others will have updates on the Podcast page about these systems. It does appear, however, that mixed rain, sleet and snow will affect the northern White Mountains, N. Greens and Maine around the 10th or 11th with some light showers further south. This temporary freeze/thawing will affect some of the nice powder that will blasting New England ski areas this Sunday. However, temps will dive back down into the teens and 20's for highs and single numbers for lows by the 12th or so with more improved snow-making conditions and additional chances for some snow over New EnglandIt appears as if Utah to the Tahoe region will remain under a below normal snowfall trend into mid-late December. The best chance for snows at Alta/Snowbird and the Cascades may be with a breakdown of the eastern Pacific ridge around the 12th or 13th of December. Amounts could exceed 6-12".

JAY PEAK, WHITEFACE TO STOWE SNOWS WITH 6-12" by Dr Weather

Dec 03, 08 12:04 PM

LOTS OF MOUNTAIN ENHANCED SNOWS WITH 6-12" LIKELY JAY PEAK, WHITEFACE TO STOWE AND AT LEAST 4-8" AT SUGARBUSH AND KILLINGTON LIKELY THIS WEEKEND. look for southern vermont to even see 2-5" of snow this weekend with great snow making into next weeklight rain showers are likely on Thursday ahead of a cold front with temps 30's north and 40's south

SUGARLOAF MAINE IN BATTER'S BOX by Dr Weather

Dec 03, 08 12:02 PM

SUGARLOAF MAINE IN BATTER'S BOX FOR 6-12" OF SNOW SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH POSSIBLE WIND HOLD MONDAY AM DUE TO STRONG WINDS OF OVER 50 MPHSNOWS OF AT LEAST 5-10" LIKELY OVER WHITE MOUNTAINS LIKE CANNON TO LOON AND WILDCAT

December 1, 2008 Season Progress Report

Dec 02, 08 12:43 AM

THIS REPORT IS AVAILABLE IN EASIER-TO-READ TABLE FORMAT AT http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/seas09.htm ....................................................October was mostly average, with small amounts of snow in many regions but nothing that will impact the season. At the end of the month a major storm hit the West Coast, but snow levels averaged 9,000 feet, so only Mammoth was able to open some natural terrain from it. The storm moved on to Utah, where the Cottonwood Canyon resorts received nearly 4 feet of snow, allowing Snowbird to open Nov. 7. The storm continued into Colorado, but the snowfall there averaged about a foot. There was scattered snow during the second week of November but next 2 weeks were dry and warm. Therefore at most western areas Thankgiving skiing was marginal. Front Range Colorado did get a weekend storm to catch up some, but overall western snowfall and open terrain are about 2 weeks behind schedule and several major areas are not yet open. Therefore below average conditions are likely for the Christmas holidays unless December snowfall is substantially above average. California: Mammoth received 21 inches of snow near its base and opened a run Nov. 2. But much more fell on the upper mountain, which opened Nov. 7. The solid upper mountain base held up through a warm couple of weeks, and Mammoth was 40% open (the most acreage in North America) after 3 more lower mountain chairs opened on snowmaking by Thanksgiving. The big early November storm was nearly all rain at Tahoe, and with ensuing warm weather only Boreal and Mt. Rose opened for Thanksgiving on a very restricted basis, followed by Heavenly later in the weekend. Tahoe areas should be avoided until well into January unless there is a substantial dump. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Squaw 8,000 31 51% closed Kirkwood 28 45% closed Mammoth 47 91% 40% Southern Cal 2 25% closed Arizona Snowbowl 20 71% closed Pacific Northwest: Whistler opened for Thanksgiving, but only 5% on snowmaking trails. Mt. Bachelor is still closed because its base area has only a 4-inch base. These 2 areas have a fair chance to be OK by Christmas with normal snowfall adding to current upper mountain base depths. Other Northwest areas are lower altitude and will need major storms to get going. Recent snow levels throughout the region have been too high, so no one in Washington or Oregon is open. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Whistler 59 86% 5% Mt. Hood Meadows 30 44% closed Mt. Bachelor 49.5 77% closed Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Lake Louise opened a run on snowmaking Nov. 8 and is now 5% open. Sunshine opened Nov. 15 and has somewhat more terrain. The new Revelstoke area has had 51.5 inches and opened about 1/4 of terrain for Thanksgiving. None of the Okanagan or Kootenay areas are open yet, due to low snow and likely Northwest rain. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Lake Louise 26 78% 5% Sunshine 30 68% est 25% Kicking Horse 38 71% closed Red Mt. 24 54% closed U. S. Northern Rockies: Currently only Targhee (11%), Big Sky (3%) and Jackson (4%) are open. As in the Northwest and Canada other areas have had too little snow and excessive rain at lower elevations. Only Targhee is a favorite to be in good shape by Christmas. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Whitefish 12 23% closed Grand Targhee 58 83% 11% Jackson Hole 44 67% 3% Schweitzer 18 43% closed Sun Valley 11 35% closed Utah: Snowbird opened Nov. 7 after a storm of nearly 4 feet. After more snow the next week, all 4 Cottonwood areas were open for the weekend of Nov. 15-16 (ranging from 39% at Alta to 11% at Solitude). Surface conditions were variable after 2 weeks of no new snow, but a few inches over the weekend resurfaced much of Alta and allowed Supreme to open. Park City delayed its opening to November 29 because it was often too warm to make snow. The Cottonwood areas rate to be in decent shape by Christmas with normal December snow, but other Utah areas should probably be avoided until January. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Alta 76 94% 66% Snowbird 64 88% 18% Brighton/Solitude 45 59% 20% Park City 20 50% 2% Brian Head 16 31% 4% Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland and A-Basin opened their first snowmaking runs Oct. 15. Copper and Breckenridge also opened on snowmaking Nov. 8, and Vail and Winter Park opened Nov. 22. Historical snowfall leaders Steamboat, Vail and Winter Park are normally about 1/4 open by Thanksgiving, but everyone in the region was well under 10% open this year. The weekend storm dropped an average of 2 feet, with 4 feet at Loveland. More terrain has opened but still less than average for December 1. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Beaver Creek 46 76% 23% Breckenridge 41 89% 11% Copper Mt. 50 113% 9% Keystone 31 108% 5% Loveland 64 120% 21% Steamboat 45 69% 4% Vail 54 79% 15% Winter Park 46 67% 4% Southern and Western Colorado: Aspen, Telluride and Taos opened a handful of snowmaking runs for Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving weekend storm averaged about 1.5 feet, allowing Wolf Creek to open most terrain. This region remains below average, and it will still take another big December like last year to get most of the steeper runs open. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Aspen 38 97% 7% Gothic Snow Lab 37.5 68% N/A Telluride 47 118% 4% Wolf Creek 38 65% 100% Taos 26 48% 4% Northeast: Natural snow in late October totalled 11 inches at Stowe and Jay Peak. Sunday River opened Oct. 31 and Killington opened Nov. 2 on snowmaking. Weather then turned warm and rainy, so Killington closed after 5 days while Sunday River maintained marginal operation on weekends. With 2 cold weeks and 1-3 feet of new snow, many eastern areas had more runs open than normal for Thanksgiving. Surfaces may be degraded by rain/wet snow starting late last weekend. Percents open: Sunday River 23%, Hunter 53%, Whiteface 22%, Okemo 26%, Stratton 31%, Tremblant 24%, Ste. Anne 18%. Area Season Snow Pct. of Normal Pct. of Area Open Jay 54 89% 20% Stowe 52 121% 19% Sugarbush 35 76% 25% Killington 61 187% 45% Cannon Mt. 26 99% 7% Sugarloaf 24 76% 31% Other season snow totals: Tremblant 20, Whiteface 17, Okemo 11, Stratton 24.

Heavy Snow in Summit and Gilpin Counties Colorado...Breckinridge and Keystone HeadsUp

Nov 30, 08 03:04 PM

A winter storm WARNING remains in effect until 5 PM MST this afternoon. .Strong northwest winds and heavy snow will continue to produce very difficult driving conditions in mountain areas up along the Continental Divide through this afternoon. Northwest winds of 25 to 40 mph and gusts to around 65 mph will combine with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall to produce near blizzard conditions especially up around timberline. Weather spotters and automated weather sensors have reported that 6 to 12 inches of snow has fallen in the high country in the past 24 hours. However...Up along the Continental Divide in Summit and Gilpin counties...Snow totals since yesterday afternoon range from 10 to 16 inches...With the greatest accumulations up at the eisenhower Tunnel and around copper Mountain along interstate 70. New snow accumulations by late this afternoon will range from 3 to 6 inches...

Snow, sleet,freezing rain and more Snow for Sunday and Monday in the Vermont Mountains

Nov 30, 08 11:18 AM

.Tonight... Snow...Mixing with sleet until midnight...Then rain and sleet with pockets of freezing rain after midnight. Snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches. Light ice accumulation possible. Lows in the upper 20s. East winds around 10 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent. .Monday... Snow or rain Likely mixing with sleet in the morning... Then a chance of rain or snow in the afternoon. Total snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 5 inches. Highs around 40. South winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.

November 27, 2008 Season Progress Report

Nov 28, 08 03:44 PM

2008-09 Ski Season Progress ReportOctober was mostly average, with small amounts of snow in many regions but nothing that will impact the season. At the end of the month a major storm hit the West Coast, but snow levels averaged 9,000 feet, so only Mammoth was able to open some natural terrain from it. The storm moved on to Utah, where the Cottonwood Canyon resorts received nearly 4 feet of snow, allowing Snowbird to open Nov. 7. The storm continued into Colorado, but the snowfall there averaged about a foot. There was scattered snow during the second week of November but the rest of the month has been dry and warm. Therefore at most western areas Thankgiving skiing is marginal. With snowfall and open terrain about 2 weeks behind schedule (several major areas not yet open) , below average conditions are likely for the Christmas holidays unless December snowfall is substantially above average. California: Mammoth received 21 inches of snow near its base and opened a run Nov. 2. But much more fell on the upper mountain, which opened Nov. 7. Total snow after a few smaller storms 46 inches. The solid upper mountain base held up through a warm couple of weeks, and Mammoth is now 40% open (by far the most acreage in North America) after 3 more lower mountain chairs opened on snowmaking. The big early November storm was nearly all rain at Tahoe, and with ensuing warm weather only Boreal and Mt. Rose are open for Thanksgiving on a very restricted basis. Season snowfalls 24 inches at Kirkwood and 10-31 at Squaw. Pacific Northwest: There have been 53 inches snow in the Whistler alpine, but for Thanksgiving only 3% of terrain is open on snowmaking trails. Mt. Bachelor has had 49.5 inches of snow, but is still closed because its base area has only a 7-inch base. These areas are still likely to be OK by Christmas with normal snowfall adding to current upper mountain base depths. Other Northwest areas are lower altitude and will need bigger storms to get going. Canadian Rockies and Interior B.C.: Lake Louise opened a run on snowmaking Nov. 8 and is now 5% open on 26 inches November snow. Sunshine opened Nov. 15 and has had 30 inches in November. 31 inches at upper elevations of Kicking Horse and 48 inches at upper elevations of Revelstoke, which opened Thanksgiving. None of the Okanagan or Kootenay areas are open yet, and Red Mt. snowfall has been only 20 inches. U. S. Northern Rockies: November snowfall 41 at Jackson and 54 inches at Targhee, which is 10% open. Elsewhere conditions are lagging with only 18 inches snow at Schweitzer and 11 at Sun Valley. Only Big Sky is open (3%), likely mostly snowmaking. Utah: Snowbird opened Nov. 7 after a storm of nearly 4 feet. After more snow the next week, all 4 Cottonwood areas were open for the weekend of Nov. 15-16 (ranging from 39% at Alta to 11% at Solitude). Season snow 70 inches Alta, 59 inches Snowbird, 42 inches Solitude, but almost none the last 2 weeks. Surface conditions are variable after 2 weeks of no new snow, and Park City has delayed opening because it has often been too warm to make snow. Northern and Central Colorado: Loveland and A-Basin opened their first snowmaking runs Oct. 15. Loveland is currently 10% open and A-Basin 6%. Copper (6% open now) and Breckenridge (5%) are also open on snowmaking since Nov. 8. Vail (2%) and Winter Park (3%) opened Nov. 22. Snowfalls since Nov. 1, very little of it the last 2 weeks: Loveland 22, Breckenridge 18, Copper 19, Vail 18, Steamboat 28, Winter Park 27. Historical snowfall leaders Steamboat, Vail and Winter Park are normally about 1/4 open by Thanksgiving, so a strong December will be needed to get most terrain open by Christmas. Southern and Western Colorado: Aspen has had 19 inches in November and Telluride 33 inches, and both have opened a handful of snowmaking runs for Thanksgiving. Wolf Creek is 30% open, but it's somewhat marginal on 28 inches total snow, almost none the last 2 weeks. This region is well below average, and advanced terrain is unlikely to be open by Christmas unless there is another big December like last year. Northeast: Natural snow in late October totalled 11 inches at Stowe and Jay Peak. Sunday River opened Oct. 31 and Killington opened Nov. 2 on snowmaking. Weather then turned warm and rainy, so Killington closed after 5 days while Sunday River maintained marginal operation on weekends. It's now been cold for over a week with 1-3 feet of new snow, so many eastern areas have more runs open than normal for Thanksgiving: Killington 29%, Sunday River 20%, Hunter 40%, Tremblant 17%, Okemo 23%, Stratton 30%, Stowe 11%, Jay 10%.Season snow: Killington 51, Stowe 36, Jay 43, Sugarbush 33, Sugaloaf 24, Cannon 23.

Snow and Ice for Vermont

Nov 28, 08 08:06 AM

including the cities of...Saratoga Springs...Hudson Falls... Fort Edward...Cambridge...Greenwich...Bennington 1021 AM EST Sun Nov 30 2008 ...Winter weather ADVISORY remains in effect from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM EST Monday... A winter weather ADVISORY for Snow...Sleet and freezing rain remains in effect from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM EST Monday. Precipitation might Start out as rain in the lake George Saratoga region and Bennington County...But as the air initially cools...Any rain will change to a brief period of sleet and possibly Snow. As warmer air move in aloft...The precipitation will transition to freezing rain by evening in Saratoga County north of Saratoga Springs...And the elevated terrain in Bennington County. By the time freezing rain changes to liquid rain late overnight...Expect up to a tenth of an inch of ice. A winter weather ADVISORY means that periods of snow...Sleet...Or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities...And use caution while driving and allow extra time to reach your destination

Captainjack -- Snow to continue on Colorado slopes. Light Snow in Vermont

Nov 28, 08 07:02 AM

...Winter weather advisory remains in effect until 6 PM MSTFriday...Snowfall will continue today in SW Colorado bringing snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches by early Friday evening. Southwest winds gusting to 25 mph will cause localized blowing and drifting snow.Winds are expected to shift to the north resulting ina persistent light snow Friday...Especially for locations withinthe uncompahgre gorge.For Skyway...Aspen...Vail...Snowmass...Crested Butte...Taylor Park...MarbleA winter weather advisory for Snow remains in effect until 6 PM MSTFriday. Winds will shift to the north early in the morningbringing Snow to North facing slopes. Snowfall totals of 5 to 10inches are expected by early Friday evening.Light Snow for Northern Vermont....A chance of snow showers this morning...Then snow showerslikely this afternoon. Total snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches.Highs in the lower 30s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of snow 70 percent.

Nov 27, 08 06:48 PM