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Ski resorts are clamoring for open runs, walk-through ice palaces can’t be built, and a horse stable owner hopes his customers will be satisfied with a wagon ride instead of a sleigh down the majestic Rocky Mountain peaks. It’s still very hot in the west and there hasn’t been enough snowfall.
meanwhile, middle West And the Northeast has seen record snowfall this December, a boon for skiers who typically prefer the conditions of the West.
In the western mountains, where snow is vital for ski tourism, not to mention water for millions of acres (hectares) of crops and the daily needs of millions of people, far less snow has accumulated than usual.
“Mother Nature is dealing with a really tough deck,” said Kevin Cooper, president of the Kirkwood Ski Education Foundation, a ski racing organization. Lake Tahoe But California,nevada Rekha.
Only a small percentage of lifts were open and snow depth was well below average. Lake Tahoe The resorts are just one example of below-average snowfall due to warm weather across nearly the entire West.
In utahThe heat has indefinitely postponed this winter’s Midway Ice Castles, an attraction 45 minutes east salt Lake City The building-sized, palatial features require cold temperatures to store water. Temperatures in the region, which will host part of the 2034 Winter Olympics, have been on average 7-10 degrees (3-5 degrees Celsius) above normal in recent weeks. National Weather Service,
near the well, coloradoBearcat Stables owner Nicole Godley hopes the wagon will be a good alternative to the sleigh for rides through mountain scenery.
“It’s the same experience, same ride, same horses,” Godley said. “You know, it’s more about these huge horses and the western rustic feel.”
Torrential rains in the northwest have washed away roads and bridges and flooded homes. Washington state received heavy mountain snowfall this weekend, but flood-damaged roads that could not be repaired for months are now blocking access to some ski resorts.
In oregonIce accumulation in the Upper Deschutes Basin has had the slowest start on record since 1981. oregon, idaho and western colorado The month of November was the warmest on record, with temperatures 6–8.5 degrees (2–4 °C) above average. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Continued heat could bring another year of drought and wildfires in the West. NOAA Drought Information Coordinator Jason Gerlich said much of the region received good precipitation, except for large parts of Colorado and Oregon, but rain rather than snow.
This not only helps skiers, but also farmers, ranchers and people from Denver to Los Angeles who depend on snowpack water for their daily lives. Rain stops suddenly at a time when it is not needed.
“That snowpack is one of our largest reservoirs for water supply in the entire West,” Gerlich said.
Climate scientists agree that it is important to limit global warming by curbing the trend of snowfall and rain.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern US, below-normal temperatures mean snow instead of rain. parts of Vermont Compared to last year, there has been almost triple the snowfall in Ohio this time and double the snowfall in Ohio.
Vermont’s Killington Resort and Pico Mountain had about 100 trails open in “the best conditions I’ve ever seen this time of year,” said resort spokesman Josh Reed, who has lived in Killington for a decade.
New Hampshire ski areas opening early include Cannon Mountain, which has received more than 50 inches (127 cm) of snow so far. In northern Vermont, 31-year-old Elena Veach has already done more cross-country skiing this fall than in the previous two years.
“With our warming climate I don’t take a good New England winter for granted,” Veach said.
Out West, it’s still too early to rule out snowfall. A major hurricane “can change things rapidly,” said Gerlich, the NOAA coordinator.
There was no snowfall forecast in Lake Tahoe during Thanksgiving week, but Cooper with the ski racing group is eyeing possibly several feet (1-2 meters) of snowfall in the long-term forecast.
“That would be great!” Cooper said.