Jonathan Erdman
It's the middle of winter, so where are ski conditions absolutely crushing for this snowiest time of year?
The answer is unsurprisingly in parts of the West, particularly in California. But while California's recent siege of storms, including epic mountain snow, has dominated most of the national headlines, other parts of the country have also picked up significant snow in recent weeks.
And there's even more good news ahead in the forecast for ski lovers as well.
Let's step through some highlights starting in the West.
California's Bounty
The parade of Pacific storms from just after Christmas through mid-January dumped 80 percent of a typical full season's snowpack on California in only around three weeks.
Mammoth Mountain in the Sierra south of Lake Tahoe near Yosemite National Park tallied 20 feet (240 inches) of snow from Dec. 27 through Jan. 17.
While a 13- to 20-foot base of snow is hard to beat anywhere, Mammoth Mountain isn't alone in California.
Several other California ski areas have bases well over 100 inches as of the time this article was published, according to OnTheSnow.com.
That Sierra snowpack is currently over twice the average for late January, according to estimates from the western SNOTEL network of sensors.
Tahoe City, along the western shore of Lake Tahoe, tallied just over 180 inches of snow this season, its snowiest-to-date in 58 years, according to Dan McEvoy, a climatologist based in Reno, Nevada.
Wasatch Wonder
Utah's Wasatch Mountains was also pounded by the siege of West Coast storms.
Alta Ski Area has picked up 358 inches of snow this season. That's almost 12 feet above their average-to-date and their snowiest season-to-date since 1983-84.
Many other Utah resorts are reporting at least 100-inch bases including Brighton, Deer Valley and Snowbird, according to OnTheSnow.com.
The state's snowpack is running up to two and a half times its average for late January, according to the western SNOTEL network of sensors.
Arizona
It may not be top of mind among ski destinations, but a bonanza of recent snow has left ski conditions at Arizona's two main ski resorts about as good as they can get.
Both Arizona Snowbowl and Sunrise Park reported base depths of at least 5 feet with powder conditions as of Jan. 24.
Flagstaff, Arizona, has been hit by four separate snowstorms in January. Their 60-inch snowfall total is the third heaviest for any January.
Northern Great Lakes Still Good
The snow totals don't quite compare to the epic ones in the West, but recent snow has also blanketed some ski areas from Minnesota to northern Michigan.
Several ski areas in northern Minnesota have at least 30-inch bases, including Lutsen Mountain, northeast of Duluth. While January snowfall here has been near average, a mid-December snowstorm dumped 2 feet of snow at Lutsen.
Most ski areas in northern Michigan have at least 1- to 2-foot bases. Ski Brule boasts a 64-inch base as of Jan. 24.
Northern New England Snow Factory Back On
Despite a lack of snow this season in much of the Northeast, this trend has turned around in parts of upstate New York and northern New England.
A pair of winter storms, named Iggy and Jimenez by The Weather Channel, blanketed the interior Northeast over the past week.
Magic Mountain, Vermont, picked up 13 inches of snow from Winter Storm Jimenez alone. Gunstock Mountain, New Hampshire, tallied 25 inches of snow since last weekend.
Even the high country of Massachusetts joined in on the recent snow bonanza. Berkshire East reported 14 inches of snow in 24 hours from Winter Storm Jimenez. Wachusett Mountain in central Massachusetts reported a 55 to 60-inch machine-groomed base of snow on Jan. 24, though the resort had suffered a power outage due to the most recent winter storm.
More Powder Ahead
The weather pattern into early February has more good news for those daydreaming of hitting the slopes.
The overall pattern will trend colder into at least the first week of February. That should minimize any melting or icy snow on the slopes.
8-14 Day temperature outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center for Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 shows parts of the Rockies, upper Midwest have the best chance of colder than average temperatures.This pattern in late January and February usually produces winter storms with expansive footprints of snow across the nation from the Mountain West to the Northeast, such as Winter Storm Kassandra this week.
So if want to fight the winter blahs, maybe a day on the slopes is just what you need.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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