Weather
This forecast was created at 7 a.m. PST on Sunday, November 16, 2025.
A classic early season upslope pattern will bring mainly light to locally moderate snow to the northern New England mountains from Sunday through Tuesday, with Jay Peak and Stowe in Vermont seeing the most impressive totals. Across the region, storm totals generally range from about 2″–12″, with the highest amounts focused on the northern Greens and northern New Hampshire high terrain, while Killington and Bretton Woods pick up a few inches to refresh the only open lift-served terrain. Snow levels fall quickly to the base areas on Sunday and stay there, and snow quality improves through Monday as temperatures settle in the teens and 20s with snow-to-liquid ratios mostly in the 10–14:1 range. Winds will be gusty at times, especially on exposed ridges, and conditions turn drier and somewhat milder from midweek onward with additional, mainly milder systems possible as we head toward Thanksgiving.
A cold west to northwest flow from Sunday through Tuesday will drive a sustained upslope snow event across the northern New England resorts. Behind departing low pressure, west to northwest winds focus moisture into the northern Greens of Vermont and the higher terrain of northern New Hampshire, where showers organize into steady light to at times moderate snow through Monday. Snow levels quickly lower to the valleys on Sunday, with values near 600–1,000 feet early before dropping to the surface, so precipitation across the ski mountains falls as snow after any brief mixed start at the very lowest elevations. Temperatures at mountain elevations hover mainly in the upper teens to mid 20s, which supports reasonably efficient snowfall once the colder air is fully in place. This setup favors the usual west and northwest facing terrain, so resorts like Jay Peak, Stowe, Sugarbush, Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods, and Wildcat all participate to varying degrees while lower valleys see much lighter accumulations.
The Sunday through Monday upslope storm delivers the main burst of accumulating snow, with the northern Greens and northern New Hampshire Whites leading the way. Jay Peak and Stowe are the clear standouts, each projected to finish this event with around 9″–12″ by Tuesday night as snow bands repeatedly reload on their west and northwest slopes. Sugarbush and Cannon Mountain are not far behind, picking up on the order of 4″–5″ through Tuesday, while Wildcat tallies roughly 3″–4″ over the same window as upslope snow persists there as well. Bretton Woods sees a solid refresh with about 5″–6″ expected by Tuesday night, which will lay down a noticeably softer surface on the open terrain as snow-to-liquid ratios trend into the 12–14:1 range. Killington and Loon Mountain sit a bit farther south and pick up lighter totals in this pattern, with around 2″–3″ at each, enough to freshen the manmade base at Killington while Loon banks a modest early-season layer ahead of its opening.
Snow quality improves through the life of the storm as colder air deepens and ratios climb, while winds remain an important factor on the higher ridges. Early in the event on Sunday, ratios near 9–11:1 point to slightly denser “right side of creamy” snow, especially on the lower mountain, before values increase into the 12–14:1 range Sunday night and Monday for a drier, more powder-like feel on the upper elevations. This will be most noticeable at Jay Peak, Stowe, Sugarbush, Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods, and Wildcat, where summit temperatures spend much of the period in the teens and low 20s with snow levels at or below the base elevations. West to northwest winds average in the 20–30 mph range over many summits, with gusts pushing into the 50–60 mph range at Sugarbush, Stowe, Killington, and even higher toward 70 mph at Jay Peak, so exposed ridgelines will feel quite raw despite the improving snow quality. For the open areas at Killington and Bretton Woods, the sweetest turns are likely from later Sunday into Monday once the colder, drier snow has stacked on top of the earlier, slightly denser layers, though winds will continue to shape conditions on upper mountain exposures.
Snow showers gradually taper Monday night into Tuesday as the upslope engine weakens, but a final light coating is still possible on the most favored high terrain. Residual bands in the northwest flow may add up to around an inch or so on the highest ridges of the northern Greens and northern New Hampshire early Tuesday, while lower elevations see mainly flurries as temperatures moderate into the 20s and 30s. By later Tuesday, most resorts will be drying out under lingering clouds and breezy northwest winds, allowing the new snow to settle and bond to the underlying early-season surfaces. With bases mostly near or below freezing, the fresh snow should hold up reasonably well on shadier aspects, although sunny exposures will crust or firm at times between cold nights and breezy days. Overall, this event serves as a useful base-building storm for closed areas like Stowe, Sugarbush, Jay Peak, Loon Mountain, Cannon Mountain, and Wildcat, while also improving the ski experience on the currently open terrain at Killington and Bretton Woods.
From midweek into next weekend, the pattern turns quieter for a time before trending milder and more unsettled as we approach Thanksgiving. High pressure builds in for Wednesday and Thursday, bringing mainly dry weather, easing winds, and seasonably cold but slowly moderating temperatures across Vermont and New Hampshire, allowing this storm’s snow to settle and be worked into the early-season snowpack ahead of key openings later in November. Late in the week, another system approaches from the west, likely bringing a renewed round of precipitation Friday into Saturday with marginal temperatures that favor rain at lower elevations and a mix of wet snow and rain transitioning to snow on the higher summits. Looking at the broader period from roughly November 21–29, guidance favors above-normal temperatures and near to above-normal precipitation in the Northeast, which points to a generally mild and active pattern rather than a locked-in cold regime. That means additional systems are likely to pass through as we head toward Thanksgiving, but many will bring mixed or wetter snow events for the lower and mid elevations, with the best chances for accumulating snow continuing to focus on the higher peaks and classic upslope zones.
Resort Forecast Totals
- Jay Peak – 9″–12″ Sun (11/16) – Tue night (11/18)
- Stowe – 9″–12″ Sun (11/16) – Tue night (11/18)
- Bretton Woods – 5″–6″ Sun (11/16) – Tue night (11/18)
- Cannon Mountain – 4″–5″ Sun (11/16) – Tue night (11/18)
- Sugarbush – 4″–5″ Sun (11/16) – Tue (11/18)
- Wildcat – 3″–4″ Sun (11/16) – Tue night (11/18)
- Killington – 2″–3″ Sun (11/16) – Mon night (11/17)
- Loon Mountain – 2″–3″ Sun (11/16) – Tue (11/18)
