February 2026 State of the Western U.S. Snowpack: Trending in the Wrong Direction Across much of the U.S., this winter has struggled to build a consistent snowpack, with February levels tracking well below what is typical for this point in the season. A pattern of weaker storms and inconsistent cold has limited both snowfall totals and the long-term base needed to support a strong spring snowpack. Related: Mt. Hood Skibowl, OR, to Suspend […] Weather Brent Glogau | February 2, 2026 0 Comments
January 2026 State of the Western U.S. Snowpack: Still Well Below Average with Some Bright Spots and Hope Happy New Year. Winter is beginning to take shape across the Western U.S., although it’s still slow in some places, leaving some unhappy. Last month, the snowpack was so abysmal that many skiers and snowboarders still hadn’t had their first days on the mountain. The continued slow start to the season has January snowpack levels well below typical depths for […] Weather Brent Glogau | January 2, 2026 1 Comment
The State of the Snowpack: Hope For More Snow in 2024 This winter has brought a slow start to the ski season for ski resorts across North America. With few storms delivering a mix of rain and snow, many ski areas are struggling to open terrain. On top of little base snow, many resorts have also suffered from warm temperatures, precluding the use of snow-making systems to make up for the […] Weather Zach Armstrong | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
California Statewide Snowpack is Over 300% of Average It is no secret that the winter of 2022/23 will go down in history as one of the best ever. 18 resorts throughout the western United States set snowfall records, many of them in California. Related: A Photo Tour of the Buried Houses of Mammoth Lakes, CA | Spring 2023 The banner year continues to leave a lasting impression as […] Industry News Brent Glogau | May 9, 2023 0 Comments
SWE: The Difference Between Blower Pow and Mashed Potatoes If you’ve skied blower powder or struggled through thigh-burning turns in fresh mashed potatoes, you’ve experienced SWE. SWE stands for snow water equivalent. The SWE of a particular snowfall can make for an epic powder day, a struggle through heavy snow, or even create dangerous avalanche conditions. Basically, SWE can be thought of as the amount of water covering the […] Lynn Barlow | September 5, 2020 1 Comment
Western USA Snowpack Is Historically Below Average | 0% of Average in Lake Tahoe, CA… The above map shows us what the Western USA snow water equivalent (more or less snowpack) is doing. The numbers in the various regions above represent that region’s departure from average as of today’s date, April 20th, 2015. The Far West is really hurting right now with: 0% of average snowpack in Lake Tahoe, CA 26% of average snowpack in the Cottonwood Canyons, UT (Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude) 6% of average snowpack in Northern Washington’s Cascade mountains 9% of average in Central Oregon […] Weather SnowBrains | April 20, 2015 6 Comments
Weather
Industry News
