Weather and Snowpack Update for the United States Many ski areas across the Western USA continue to experience one of the most challenging winters in recent memory. Mount Hood Ski Bowl recently announced that its operations will be suspended until further notice, and many large ski areas, including Vail, Park City, Deer Valley, and others only have roughly 65% of their terrain open, according to ski area websites. […] Weather Zach Armstrong | February 4, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Significant Snowfall Returns to the Intermountain West This Week. But When and How Much? Source: maps.weatherbell.com Big Picture This last week, if not the whole season, has been bleak for skiers in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The latest trend was a series of atmospheric rivers hitting the Pacific Northwest, at the same time that a series of clipper systems were hitting the Great Lakes and Northern Plains. This has resulted in wet, but mild, […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 15, 2025 0 Comments
Nationwide U.S. Snow Cover Hits Highest Early-Season Level in 20 Years Snow–for skiing and snowboarding, the more the better, right? Most riders would agree, and further proof is the popularized phrase, “No friends on a powder day.” While some areas of the Western United States are experiencing below-average snowfall, the Northeast is thriving with the opposite. But what is the overall trend? According to Chris Vickers, WTOL Chief Meteorologist, the United […] Climate Greg Wedow | December 5, 2025 0 Comments
OpenSnow’s 2025–26 North America Winter Forecast: ENSO Outlook, Snowfall, and Regional Trends As summer is coming to a close, many winter enthusiasts are turning their attention to the upcoming winter season. This includes weather outlooks, and OpenSnow recently released its 2025-26 North America winter forecast preview. The notable points are outlined below; however, please refer to the entire forecast for complete details. While long-range forecasts carry plenty of uncertainty, the ENSO pattern—the El Niño Southern Oscillation—provides some […] Weather Brent Glogau | August 18, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA June 2025 ENSO Update: Neutral Conditions—Neither El Niño nor La Niña—Most Likely for Winter 2025-26 This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog and was written by Emily Becker. The Pacific Ocean has hit pause and settled into ENSO-neutral conditions, which are expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. This makes seasonal forecasting for upcoming global rain, temperature, and other patterns a bit trickier. Related: These Are the 6 Ski Areas Open in […] Weather WeatherBrains | June 13, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA May 2025 ENSO Update: Next Winter Likely ENSO-Neutral, Although La Niña a Possibility This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog. The tropical Pacific is in ENSO-neutral conditions, and neutral is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. Neutral is also the most likely outcome for the fall and winter, although chances of La Niña are a close second. Today, as your trusty representative of the ENSO forecast team, I’ll cover […] Weather WeatherBrains | May 8, 2025 0 Comments
The 5 Most Impactful News Stories of the 2024-25 Ski Season The 2024–25 ski season in North America was one of the most eventful in recent memory, marked by inconsistent snowfall, major resort expansions, labor strikes, and shifting dynamics across the industry. From transformative infrastructure projects at top destinations to ski patrols walking off the job in high-profile disputes, the season was a reflection of both the ski world’s growing pains […] Industry News Brent Glogau | April 30, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA April 2025 ENSO Update: La Niña has Ended This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog. After just a few months of La Niña conditions, the tropical Pacific is now ENSO-neutral, and forecasters expect neutral to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer. Neutral is also the most likely state through the fall (greater than 50% chance). Related: NOAA: Did La Niña Shape North American Precipitation this Winter […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 12, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA: Did La Niña Shape North American Precipitation this Winter as Expected? This article originally appeared on climate.gov on March 27, 2025 While many of us in the U.S. are reveling in the excitement of college basketball tournaments and trying to win our March Madness pools, it’s also a good time to look back at this past winter’s (December 2024–February 2025) precipitation pattern over North America. Were the seasonal forecast models a […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 28, 2025 0 Comments
NASA: La Niña Is Here This post first appeared on NASA Earth Observatory After seven months of waiting, La Niña—the cooler sister of El Niño—finally showed up in the eastern Pacific Ocean in early December 2024. La Niña may not stick around long, though. According to NOAA, the Pacific may return to neutral conditions in spring 2025. Part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 7, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO December 2024 Update: Weak La Niña Forecast Packs Surprising Punch This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog and was written by Nat Johnson Although it’s taking its sweet old time to get going, a weak La Niña, the cool phase of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is expected to develop this winter. Much like I did last November, I thought it would be a good time to delve into how these expected tropical […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 11, 2024 0 Comments
Weak La Niña Poised to Influence U.S. Winter Precipitation Patterns The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has shared on its ENSO blog that a weak La Niña, the cooler phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is expected to develop this winter, shifting North America’s precipitation patterns. Contributors he ENSO blog are, amongst others, Michelle L’Heureux (NOAA Climate Prediction Center), Emily Becker (University of Miami/CIMAS), Nat Johnson (NOAA Geophysical […] Industry News SnowBrains | December 5, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA November 2024 ENSO Update: 57% Chance Weak La Niña Will Develop Soon Then Last Through Winter This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog and was written by Emily Becker. There’s a 57% chance La Niña will develop soon. This is late for La Niña to arrive, and it’s very likely to be a weak event at most. However, even a weak event can influence temperature, rain, and snow patterns across the world. Today, we’ll […] Weather WeatherBrains | November 14, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO Update: La Niña’s Historical Impact – What to Expect for Snow This Winter This article about the impact of La Niña on snow first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog and was written by Tom Di Liberto. I’ll cut to the chase. Spooky season is coming to an end, and people are beginning to set their sights on winter. And when it comes to winter, there’s a big, white, abominable “elephant” in the […] Weather WeatherBrains | October 25, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO October 2024 Update: Confidence of La Niña Emerging This Winter Decreased to 60% Chance This ENSO update first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO Blog and was written by Emily Becker. The tropical Pacific Ocean reflected neutral conditions—neither El Niño nor La Niña—in September. Forecasters continue to favor La Niña later this year, with an approximately 60% chance it will develop in September–November. The probability of La Niña is a bit lower than last month, […] Weather WeatherBrains | October 10, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO September 2024 Update: 80% Chance of La Niña From November to January This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO Blog and was written by Emily Becker. The tropical Pacific is still in neutral, but nature continues giving us signs that La Niña is on the way, and our La Niña Watch remains. Forecasters estimate a 71% chance that La Niña will emerge during September–November and expect it will persist through the […] Weather WeatherBrains | September 23, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO Update August 2024: 74% Chance of La Niña Persisting Through Winter This post first appeared on the climate.gov ENSO blog and was written by Tom Di Liberto You’ll have to excuse this ENSO Blogger for a minute while I drink some sweet tea on the porch and lament about all the heat and humidity, “Woof, it’s hot!” Things truly seem to move slower during the dog days of summer in late […] Weather Guest Author | August 11, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO June 2024 Update: La Niña Likely by Late Summer After a year of dominance, El Niño released its hold on the tropical Pacific in May 2024, according to NOAA’s latest ENSO update. El Niño—the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), our planet’s single largest natural source of year-to-year variations in seasonal climate—has been disrupting climate in the tropics and beyond since May 2023, likely contributing to many […] Weather WeatherBrains | June 14, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO May 2024 Update: 69% Chance Weakening El Niño Will Transition to La Niña by Fall El Niño weakened substantially over the past month, and we think a transition to neutral conditions is imminent. There’s a 69% chance that La Niña will develop by July–September (and nearly 50-50 odds by June-August). Let’s kick off the ENSO Blog’s tin anniversary with our 121st ENSO outlook update! Attention! First things first: our beloved editor, Rebecca Lindsey, has trained […] Weather WeatherBrains | May 9, 2024 0 Comments
NOAA ENSO Update April 2024: 85% Chance La Niña Develops Next Winter The El Niño of 2023–24 is weakening. Forecasters estimate an 85% chance that El Niño will end and the tropical Pacific will transition to neutral conditions by the April–June period. There’s a 60% chance that La Niña will develop by June–August. Overall, the forecast this month is very similar to last month, and we continue to expect La Niña for […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 12, 2024 0 Comments