Weather
September is now behind us, and we’re into October, which typically sees the first ski resorts in North America start their lifts turning. This means that winter is just around the corner.
If you’re not yet overwhelmed with winter forecasts (NOAA, Old Farmers’ Almanac, Farmer’s Almanac, Direct Weather), AccuWeather’s meteorologists have just released their winter forecast. Ski highlights are below, but check out their website for the detailed forecast.
Winter is fast approaching, but AccuWeather meteorologists say that it will shape up much differently than last winter in part due to a volcano that erupted on the other side of the globe.
This winter is indeed looking like a snowy one across most of the northern tier of the contiguous United States, but AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok says, there is more to the forecast than just snowstorms.
Pastelok and his team of long-range forecasters are predicting a “triple dip La Niña,” as it is the third winter in a row that La Niña will shape the weather patterns across the U.S. Despite what will be the third La Niña winter in a row, this winter will not necessarily be a carbon copy of the past two.
Excellent ski conditions predicted for popular resorts
Skiers and snowboarders across the West Coast who are awaiting the first opportunity to hit the slopes may want to consider traveling to the Cascades or the Rockies as resorts in these mountain ranges are projected to have the best of the early-season ski conditions.
Resorts in Central and Southern California, as well as Arizona and Utah, may be slow going early in the winter before natural snow picks up during the second half of the winter — the exact opposite of what unfolded at the start of last winter.
Pastelok added that it should be a good year for the popular ski resorts across Colorado, but it might not necessarily be a banner year.
Ski resorts on the other side of the country may end up relying on artificial snow rather than natural snow this winter with below-normal snowfall in the forecast for the spine of the Appalachians from northern Georgia through Pennsylvania. Spells of colder weather during the early part of the ski season could help the resorts that are able to generate their own snow.
Better conditions are anticipated at ski slopes in New York and across New England where more frequent snow is anticipated. Resorts in Vermont and New Hampshire could end up being the best places to ski this winter across the eastern U.S. due to a boost from natural snowfall.
One of the more unusual factors that could influence the overall weather patterns this winter can be traced back to a cataclysmic volcano eruption that took place in the early weeks of 2022. The volcaEarth’sed an unprecedented amount of debris high into Earth’s atmosphere which could still be having an effect on the weather on a global scale.
