Skiing Weatherman

The Skiing Weatherman March 24, 2023

The Skiing Weatherman March 24, 2023

First of all, please accept my apologies for missing the last edition.  After attending a hectic three day trade show near my home here in Rhode Island, I rushed home and packed my bags for a flight to the Netherlands, where my wife and I met our first grandchild…a memorable event that I will never forget.  I simply had a[Read More…]

by March 24, 2023 11 comments Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman February 24, 2023 

The Skiing Weatherman February 24, 2023 

By the time you read this, a significant snow and ice event will have moved through the Northeast, signaling the start of the pattern change that I alluded to in my last installment. The stratospheric warming event that I discussed in my last installment has matured and now it is time for us to reap the benefits.  The polar vortex[Read More…]

by February 23, 2023 6 comments Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman February 10, 2023

The Skiing Weatherman February 10, 2023

In spite of last weekend’s dramatic cold outbreak over the Northeast, one that was muted at resorts further south in the mid-Atlantic states, milder than normal temperatures continue to dominate the pattern.  Not to the extent that they did in a very mild January, but enough to make every disturbance, big or small, that comes along a real nail biter[Read More…]

by February 2, 2023 8 comments Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman January 13, 2023

The Skiing Weatherman January 13, 2023

Happy New Year to one and all!  I hope you got some packed powder turns in during the holiday week because dry surfaces have been hard to come by during the first half of this month.  The January thaw typically comes along in the late 10’s/20’s of this month, which you can actually see in the historical data as a[Read More…]

by January 13, 2023 1 comment Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman November 25, 2022

The Skiing Weatherman November 25, 2022

By the time you read this you may have already made your first turns in the new season.  Mother Nature has been generous with cold and natural snow from coast to coast, with the West favored in late October and early November and then the Midwest and East over the past couple of weeks.  The East is where I am[Read More…]

by November 25, 2022 5 comments Skiing Weatherman, Other News
The Skiing Weatherman-January 21, 2022

The Skiing Weatherman-January 21, 2022

East stays stormy…snow returns to the West As we approach the approximate halfway point in the skiing/riding season, the slopes in all regions of the U.S. and adjacent to Canada are in good condition, with the western half of the continent still benefitting from the astounding amounts of snow that fell in late December.  This season got off to a[Read More…]

by January 20, 2022 1 comment Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman-December 16, 2021

The Skiing Weatherman-December 16, 2021

Colder, snowy pattern evolving coast to coast… As we hit the holiday season, the weather pattern is changing to one that will soon be dominated by colder than normal air.  Cold air has been in relatively short supply for a couple of weeks now, but in the past week, a series of troughs have descended into the West, leading to[Read More…]

by December 16, 2021 2 comments Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman-December 2, 2021

The Skiing Weatherman-December 2, 2021

Pattern coming alive on both coasts… Thanks to snowmaking and a nice dump of fresh snow last Friday, I kicked off my season with a nice day on the trails of Killington this past Tuesday. The surface midwinter stuff and it was fantastic to be making turns again. The storm late last week helped out across much of the Northeast,[Read More…]

by December 2, 2021 2 comments Other News, Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman-November 12, 2021

The Skiing Weatherman-November 12, 2021

Cold air supply growing… Before I look forward in this discussion, let’s look back. October was a very warm month relative to normal across the country, in large part because a sizable upper level dome of high pressure stretched across Canada and the northern states. Early snow cover over northern Asia and Canada are typically harbingers of a fast start[Read More…]

by November 11, 2021 2 comments Skiing Weatherman, Other News
The Skiing Weatherman-October 29, 2021

The Skiing Weatherman-October 29, 2021

Mother Nature picks up the pace… Halloween is upon us and it’s now reasonable to think snow. In the past week we have seen some major amounts of snow fall in the West, particularly in the Sierras of California. After a very dry summer, a veritable firehose of moisture pointed at the coastal ranches and let fly. Thankfully, there was[Read More…]

by October 28, 2021 1 comment Skiing Weatherman
The Skiing Weatherman-October 15, 2021

The Skiing Weatherman-October 15, 2021

A bit of a false start… In the past week, some significant early season snow has fallen over portions of the western U.S. and far western Canada.  The season is off and running…at least for now…as Wolf Creek Pass in southern Colorado will open this weekend with limited terrain.  I wish I could say that it is a sustainable plan[Read More…]

by October 14, 2021 2 comments Other News, Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: 2021-22 Outlook

Skiing Weatherman: 2021-22 Outlook

Even though we are just a few days past the first day of astronomical summer, I find myself already taking a peek at the northern Rockies when I am working on forecasts for my golf course clients. Why? The skier/weather nerd in me comes out as I look for the first weather station reporting snow in the air. Like you,[Read More…]

by September 29, 2021 0 comments Home Top Box 2, Skiing Weatherman
The Year in Review

The Year in Review

El Nino, Stay South. La Nina, Go North. If you haven’t already done so, it’s close to the time when the skis and snowboards get tucked away for summer hibernation.  Between Covid-19 restrictions, National Forest leases, and Old Man Winter calling it quits prematurely in much of North America, forces have conspired to end the season for the majority of[Read More…]

by April 14, 2021 7 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: West Still Strong, East Hanging In

Skiing Weatherman: West Still Strong, East Hanging In

Some Powder. Trail Counts Good. The weather pattern that dominated the month of March in the eastern half of the country has continued right into April…unfortunately.  I communicated with a resort manager in Vermont last week and found out that the mountain, which has a high base elevation…had received exactly one inch of snow last month.  One %#$$@*& inch!  A[Read More…]

by April 8, 2021 0 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: West Strong, Last Call East

Skiing Weatherman: West Strong, Last Call East

Bluebird Days. Light Snow. The weather pattern hasn’t changed much in the past week as the jet stream set-up has continued to feature a cold trough over the western half of the country and a milder to warm ridge over the eastern half.  It has been another snowy week in the West, although amounts of fresh snow have been a[Read More…]

by March 25, 2021 2 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Season Rolls On in West, New Snow Scarce in East

Skiing Weatherman: Season Rolls On in West, New Snow Scarce in East

Fresh Snow in the Wasatch. Spring Conditions Reign East. This week’s message is quite simple: If you want fresh snow, head west.  If you enjoy spring skiing, the upper Midwest and East will sport those conditions much of the time through the end of the month.  That said, I do expect the East to turn a little colder early in[Read More…]

by March 18, 2021 1 comment Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Action West, Cool Down East

Skiing Weatherman: Action West, Cool Down East

Not Quite Spring Yet. More Snow In The Forecast. While the resorts in the Midwest and East got a solid taste of spring this week as temperatures soared well above normal for a few days, the winter weather action picked up in the West.  A cold trough spun its way down the coast from B.C. to SoCal, depositing wonderful low[Read More…]

by March 10, 2021 0 comments Home Top Box 2, Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Is Relatively Quiet

Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Is Relatively Quiet

Fresh Snow in Cali. Mild Temps Next Week. Last week’s installment touched upon the fight we usually see in March between lingering cold to the north and advancing spring warmth from the south.  The fight usually takes the form of storminess, where it only a matter of whether there is enough cold air in the mix to produce snow instead[Read More…]

by March 3, 2021 1 comment Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Transition Month Trials

Skiing Weatherman: Transition Month Trials

Late Season Powder. Rain And Snow. Although astronomical spring begins with the vernal equinox later in March, “meteorological spring” begins on the first day of March.  That’s when the questions start to arise about how long the season is likely to extend.  Those questions are more common for resorts over the eastern half of the country, where injections of milder[Read More…]

by February 25, 2021 2 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Quiets Down a Bit

Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Quiets Down a Bit

Warmer end to February. March Snow Looks Good. This has been an absolutely wild weather week across the country, with more heavy snow in the West, the worst run of cold and snow in the southern Plains since 1899, and two significant storms in the East, although the first one generated a fair amount of sleet earlier this week. As[Read More…]

by February 18, 2021 2 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: The Hits Just Keep On Coming

Skiing Weatherman: The Hits Just Keep On Coming

Busy Storms. Slopes in Good Shape. As I write this piece at the start of President’s Day weekend, the slopes from coast to coast are in fine to extraordinarily good shape, thanks to a very busy coast to coast pattern of storms that has played out in recent weeks.  A push of arctic air delivered by the stratwarm episode that[Read More…]

by February 11, 2021 1 comment Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Thank You, Stratwarm

Skiing Weatherman: Thank You, Stratwarm

Hint: Cold Air Coming Your Way. [Please consider supporting SeniorsSkiing.com with a donation. We appreciate your help. Click here.] I assume that this week’s headline has many of you scratching your head wondering “What in the world is a stratwarm?” I will try and explain but the bottom line is that this phenomenon is in large part responsible for the[Read More…]

by February 4, 2021 0 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Mid-Season Update

Skiing Weatherman: Mid-Season Update

Terrain Opens Coast to Coast In my mind, the end of January is roughly the mid-point of the season and as we hit that mark, the slopes of North America are in good shape from coast to coast.  There are a few spots here and there where trail counts and base depths are lacking a bit, but overall, the very[Read More…]

by January 28, 2021 2 comments Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Something For Everone

Skiing Weatherman: Something For Everone

Snow For All. Often when I write this piece, I have good news for one region of the country and not-so good news for other areas of ski country. Such is the nature of winter weather across a country that stretches 3,000 miles from coast to coast and with so many and varied climate zones. However, just as there are[Read More…]

by January 21, 2021 1 comment Skiing Weatherman
Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Change Continues

Skiing Weatherman: Pattern Change Continues

The Vortex Is Coming. Last week I discussed a major pattern change that would unfold over North America this month. As we hit the midpoint of January, those changes are well underway. An episode of stratospheric warming over the far northern reaches of the hemisphere has matured in typical fashion, leading to the displacement of the polar vortex away from[Read More…]

by January 14, 2021 3 comments Skiing Weatherman