Glacier Study Reveals Strong Snowpack on Italian Glacier Leading into Summer At nearly 10,200 feet above sea level, on the Piedmont side of Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park, a quiet but remarkable spring snowfall has revived hopes for one of the Alps’ most closely watched glaciers. Since 1992, the Italian Meteorological Society (SMI) and the Italian Glaciological Committee have conducted annual late-spring snow surveys here, using it as a bellwether for […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | June 8, 2025 0 Comments
Snowpack Levels Fall Below Average Across Most of Western U.S., New Data Shows The latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reveals a below-average snowpack across much of the western United States, raising concerns for water supply, wildfire risk, and drought conditions heading into summer. According to the NRCS Westwide SNOTEL report for April 28, 2025, snow water equivalent (SWE) levels—a key indicator of the amount of […] Weather Martin Kuprianowicz | April 29, 2025 0 Comments
9 Deepest Snowpacks in North America This Weekend Spring is here, and spring skiing is in full swing. Which resorts have had the best winter to set them up with a deep snowpack for incredible skiing in April, May, and beyond? Related: Why Do Ski Resorts Close When Their Snowpack Is Still So Deep? The deepest snowpack here is over 17 FEET! Wow. Get in the Snow – SnowBrains […] SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 3 Comments
Why Do Ski Resorts Close When Their Snowpack Is Still So Deep? At the beginning of the ski season, it is a race to see which resort will open first. Pent-up demand from not skiing during the summer and fall drives skiers to clamor for their first tracks of the season. Sometimes this is only on one lift and a measly 12-inch base, most of which might be man-made snow. Then, at […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 3, 2025 11 Comments
Miracle March: Statewide Snowpack Near Average as California Approaches End of Winter On Saturday, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted the April 2025 snow survey at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 39.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 17 inches, 70 percent of average for this location. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s […] SnowBrains | March 31, 2025 0 Comments
California Snowpack Drops to 85% of Average as Winter Winds Down While Recent Storms Brought Statewide Snowpack Closer to Average, Dry Conditions Returned in Late February SACRAMENTO, California – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted the third snow survey of the season at Phillips Station on Friday, February 28. The manual survey recorded 34 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 13.5 inches, 58 percent of average […] Press Release | March 3, 2025 0 Comments
What is the State of the U.S. Snowpack as We Near the End of Winter? The end of February is upon us, and spring will be here in three short weeks, so let’s take a look at the current snowpack across the Western U.S. and see how it compares to historical averages. The snowpack comprises layers of snow from various storms that coalesce throughout the winter while temperatures are cold and snow storms are plentiful. […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 28, 2025 0 Comments
Deep Snowpack Saves 3 Lives After Plane Crashes into Vermont Mountain Three people survived a plane crash near the summit of Vermont’s Mount Equinox early Wednesday after deep snow cushioned the impact, officials with the Manchester Fire Department report. The Piper PA-28, which departed from Martin State Airport in Maryland, crashed around 3:50 a.m. at an elevation of 3,200 feet. Related: Plane Crash Near Loveland Ski Area, CO: A Tragedy Remembered […] SnowBrains | February 27, 2025 0 Comments
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite, CA, Report: Ski Touring Conditions Good Despite Below-Average Snowpack This post was written by Laura and Rob Pilewski, Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers on Wednesday, January 29 New Snow: 3 inches Settled Snow Depth: 28 inches High temperature: 53°F (January 23) Low temperature: 0°F (January 28) Ski Conditions and Weather A weather disturbance moved through the latter half of this week bringing light snow, high winds, and cold temperatures. Ski […] Conditions Report SnowBrains | February 4, 2025 0 Comments
Latest California Snow Survey Says State Snowpack Significantly Below Average Extremely Dry Conditions in January Put Dent in Early Season Start, with Big Regional Differences Remaining Effective Water Management Keeps Statewide Reservoirs Near or Above Average The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has conducted the second snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 22.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 8 […] SnowBrains | February 3, 2025 0 Comments
First Snow Survey of the Season Shows Snowpack Near Average for California After a Warm, Dry Fall, Recent Storms Provide Boost to Snowpack but Return of Dry Conditions Looms SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today conducted the first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station. The manual survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 9 inches, which is 91 percent of […] SnowBrains | January 6, 2025 0 Comments
Yosemite National Park Tuolumne Meadows December Report: Snow Coverage is Good, but the Snowpack Has Some Healing to Do New Snow: 22 inchesSettled Snow Depth: 30 inchesHigh temperature: 52°F (December 8)Low temperature: -5°F (December 15) Ski Conditions and Weather This report is from December 20 and was written by Laura and Rob Pilewski, Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers The Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers skied to Tioga Pass on December 7 to start the season. It is great to be back in Yosemite and in […] Conditions Report Guest Author | December 20, 2024 0 Comments
State of the Western US Snowpack: California, Oregon, and Nevada 200% Average, Montana and Wyoming 75% It’s still early in the season, but this image of the current snowpack across most of the western states makes for good reading. As winter approaches, the latest snow water equivalent data from December 4 reveals a varied snowpack across the Western United States, with some states experiencing exceptional early-season conditions while others lag behind. Oregon is leading the charge with […] SnowBrains | December 4, 2024 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Idaho Snowpack Set to Benefit With Up to 18″ Fresh Snow From Bomb Cyclone Forecast prepared at midnight MST on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 Forecast Summary A low-pressure system off the west coast of the United States has rapidly intensified, reaching the criteria of a ‘bomb cyclone’ This storm will force the jet stream to dip south around the center of low pressure before blasting the Northwest US with very moist air Massive amounts […] Weather WeatherBrains | November 20, 2024 0 Comments
Current Westwide Snowpack is 2,500% Normal in Some Regions, 30% in Others It’s still very early in the season, but this image of the current snowpack across the western states makes for good reading. As winter approaches, the latest snow water equivalent data from November 10 reveals a varied snowpack across the Western United States, with some states experiencing exceptional early-season conditions while others lag behind. Related: These Are the 23 Ski […] SnowBrains | November 11, 2024 0 Comments
Brain Post: The Hidden Dangers of an Early Season Snowpack Have you ever wondered why avalanche forecasters get so worked up about early season snow? Those first few storms of the season might seem harmless enough, maybe just enough snow to cover the grass and get us dreaming about powder days ahead. But here’s the thing: these early season storms can set up the snowpack for instability that persists throughout […] Avalanche Clay Malott | November 7, 2024 1 Comment
Warmer Winters Threaten U.S. Snowpack and Water Supply, Say 2 Dartmouth Professors Warmer winters threaten the snowpack in the western U.S. and ice cover in the East which is due to rising temperatures according to scientists. Projections show rising temperatures throughout this century will result in decreased snowfall threatening the water supply and the $67 billion snow sports industry. Snow hovered near record-low depths this season and the Great Lakes had their […] Industry News David Michael | July 2, 2024 0 Comments
Plow Crews at Glacier National Park, MT, Struggle to Open Going-To-The-Sun Road Due to Deepest Snowpack in Over a Decade Despite spring-like conditions in the valley, Logan Pass in Glacier National Park remains buried under one of the deepest snowpacks in over a decade, park officials reported. Glacier National Park Roads Supervisor Brian Paul described the scene at Logan Pass Visitor Center, where road crews are battling significant snow accumulation on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. “There’s still a lot of work […] Industry News SnowBrains | June 4, 2024 0 Comments
NASA: Sierra Snowpack Springs Back – May Storm Dumps Over 2 Feet in 1 Day While spring was springing across much of the Northern Hemisphere, California’s Sierra Nevada still looked very much like winter in early May 2024. A weather station at Donner Pass measured 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snowfall on May 5, marking the snowiest day there in the 2023-2024 season. The system of wet weather had mostly cleared the area when the […] SnowBrains | May 7, 2024 0 Comments
NASA: A “Surprisingly Average” Year for Sierra Snowpack The Sierra Nevada is known for its booms and busts regarding mountain snow. Last year, there was record-high snow, whereas the snowpack was low three years prior. After more than a decade of unusually wet or unusually dry years, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was close to normal in 2024. Related: California’s April Snow Survey Shows Above Average Snowpack […] SnowBrains | April 12, 2024 0 Comments
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