This winter has been historic in all the wrong ways for the West. October gave us hope with cold temperatures and early snowfall, but then it warmed up and dried out in November. December threw much of the region into monsoon season when the jet stream pushed warm South Pacific air and moisture into the Cascades and northern Rockies. Then New Year’s came, and Mother Nature decided to take part in Dry January.
It’s currently the peak of winter, and some major ski destinations have less than two-thirds of their terrain open. Breckenridge is operating 115 of 193 runs, Snowbasin 72 of 115, and Park City a mere 214 of 349.
Two resorts that normally stay open into the summer are starting to look like they won’t even make it through spring. Arapahoe Basin has reported just 31 inches of snow, while Timberline reported 46 inches.
Some resorts have even had to close down to evaluate whether they could continue to operate, like Mount Hood Meadows a little over a month ago. In fact, environmentalists in Oregon believe this year’s snow drought will have permanent effects on Mount Hood’s glaciers and ecosystem.
Snowpack is also vital for western cities and farms through the dry summer months. The Colorado River supplies water to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There’s also a large agricultural industry in Southern California that relies on water from the Colorado River to irrigate crops. The same goes for the Arkansas River basin that supplies water to farming communities across eastern Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
The only region that has close to normal snowpack is the northern Rockies. Snowpack in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming is much closer to normal, if not above average at certain elevations. Montana and Wyoming are both reporting roughly 80% normal snowpack, with Idaho hovering around two-thirds.
There is still hope on the horizon for a snowy second half of the season. Colder weather and precipitation have arrived and are forecasted to continue for the next couple of weeks across most of the West. Long-term forecasts also favor a colder, wetter start to spring, but it could change—so get out and enjoy the powder while you can!
