Look at this storm on radar. It stretches from south of Cuba to well into Canada. And from the Mississippi to out in the Atlantic. And we had a similar storm just 4 days ago. Friday night, it's suppose to get cold and the saturated base is going to freeze. Then we're going to get a few inches of snow on top of the boiler plate. Our yearly rainfall total is going to exceed 70 inches. This is almost twice our yearly average and will far exceed any total in the last 100+ years. I am so sick of rain that I am contemplating moving to the southwest. This pattern has been around for most of 2018 with no end in sight. I have springs from the high groundwater flowing into my gravel driveway turning it into a lake. I've lived here for 25 years and this has never happened. I am freakin' sick of freakin' rain.
Sorry, just venting!
the long range forecasts did call for wet, now I want to see the "colder than average" settle in too.
I purchased a fanboat which is moored now in my backrard
rain changed to snow half hour ago and is now dumping up at the NC Ski Areas....cold will move north so WV is next....
im going to be as far south as you can be in Florida Gulfside tomorrow...boating thru the 10,000 islands..everglades...with a high of only 67!..will warm to low 70's by xmas...its been real chilly and rainy down here for awhile now.....Bastardi has been calling for a real cold Jan..we will see...
Well snowsmith, it depends on where in the Southwest. Dallas has had the second wetest year in it's history - somewhere north of 54 inches ytd. #1 is out of reach though as more than 8 inches would have to fall in the next 10 days to break the record..
snowsmith wrote:
. I am so sick of rain that I am contemplating moving to the southwest. This pattern has been around for most of 2018 with no end in sight.
Haven't seen snow on any of the NC webacms all day. Temp at Beech is 39 degrees and still looks like pouring rain. Forecast is for short changever to snow tomorrow but then back to rain Sunday. Skipping the holiday break chaos up there. Looking at PA on Feb 2 and WV on Feb 22. Will ski those dates rain or not..
crgildart wrote:
WTF?...what the heck are you looking at?...geeze..its 26 at beech and has been snowing hard since just after noon...your Cams stuck on GW mode?...crazy..up to half foot fcast with over that on the highest peaks..Haven't seen snow on any of the NC webacms all day. Temp at Beech is 39 degrees and still looks like pouring rain. Forecast is for short changever to snow tomorrow but then back to rain Sunday. Skipping the holiday break chaos up there. Looking at PA on Feb 2 and WV on Feb 22. Will ski those dates rain or not..
fishnski wrote:
crgildart wrote:
WTF?...what the heck are you looking at?...geeze..its 26 at beech and has been snowing hard since just after noon...your Cams stuck on GW mode?...crazy..up to half foot fcast with over that on the highest peaks...........(posting from ph )................... Uno..ur right Cdart..guess my cams were froze on that last storm...geeze..pouring rain..gonna be a crap weekend....my bad....have fun Bud!Haven't seen snow on any of the NC webacms all day. Temp at Beech is 39 degrees and still looks like pouring rain. Forecast is for short changever to snow tomorrow but then back to rain Sunday. Skipping the holiday break chaos up there. Looking at PA on Feb 2 and WV on Feb 22. Will ski those dates rain or not..
fishnski wrote:
....guess my cams were froze on that last storm...geeze..pouring rain..gonna be a crap weekend....my bad....have fun Bud!
I was wonderin', thought you had some super secret radar cams or something. I've looked at radar many times and am only now seeing some blue in NC
It will be mostly rain all the way up to Mt. Washington, NH
’A significant storm will be impacting the White Mountains for the first half of this forecast period bringing heavy rain and high winds with a bit of wintry precipitation on the back side of the system. Today there is still the chance that the temperature will dip below freezing for a brief period before warming up significantly. Strong southerly winds will be bringing in a tropical air mass with temperatures rivaling record highs along with very heavy rain for this time of year. The bulk of the rain will fall this afternoon into the early overnight hours. Small streams and low lying areas could experience flooding as snow melt adds to the rain runoff. The cold front moves through tonight with the precipitation becoming showery in nature and enough cold air that the rain will transition back to snow by Saturday morning. There is not much moisture behind the cold front so snow accumulations are expected to be light. Behind the cold front, winds will be picking back up out of the Northwest with gusts to 100 mph expected once again. With all the rain that we have seen, trails will become icy as the water logged snow and runoff re-freezes. High pressure builds in Saturday night with the snow showers coming to an end and dry air moving in at summit level. Low level moisture will still keep some of the lower summits in the clouds.’
Dumping at SS now. Winter storm calling for 4 to 8 inches.. NIce! ...I perdict no more rain for the season....
Got to Somerset around 7:30 pm after driving through 3:5 hours of driving rain. When I left Phoenix, MD it was 65 degrees.As I arrived in Somerset, the rain was changing to snow. Currently a mini blizzard on top of the mountain. Ski conditions will suck tomorrow I would imagine. I don’t see how Snowtime resorts could have made it through this storm with any snow pack. According to my weather guy, this pattern will not let up. We should get snow from the next 2 mini storms. But this last storm was a monster. Storms that move up the Ohio valley put us on the warm side of the storm, a recurring theme of this weather pattern. All I can say is “NO MORE FREAKING RAIN!!!!!!😡🤬🤬🤬🤬
The rain is annoying. It looks like once we get over this week, we'll have some colder temps. Looking like a blip of rain here and there, but ST should be able to make snow consistently at night from next week on. At least according to weather.com.
Like you all, I'm tired of the dang rain too - especially after the cold November we had. Part of me is wondering if I should get a Laurel Highlands pass next year.
According to my weather guy, this is going to be a back loaded winter with a cold January and February. This week has been great so far with good ski conditions in the Laurels. I did get a Highlands pass and will be going to 7S early tomorrow. I just plan to ski for 2 or 3 hours.
I've heard that too. I'm hoping that's true. It would suck for a good start to the season (at least north of here) becomes a dud later on.
7S posted a video saying Gunnar will open tomorrow. Run one for me. :)
Here we go again🤬!! Another massive storm moving to our west drenching our snow bases with rain. At least Christmas week was nice. A happy new year to all and hopefully it is a drier one.
One final item...Wilmington, NC got over 100 inches of rain this year...1-0-0 inches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wash and Balt both setting yearly rainfall records around 70”; basically same as Wilmington less the full brunt of Hurricane Florence. It’s raining now here on NY’s Eve. Lots of rain preceding every weekend lately. Hopefully, we get some snow in Jan-Mar as part of this El Nino winter for mid-Atlantic.
For a promising November start, this is washing out a lot of snowmaking gains. Woe unto them that got started late. We need cold. There's plenty of water to make snow. Pittsburgh will beat all time historic rain fall records by mid-night.
Happy New Years all and to all, celebrate safely! Let's ski together soon.
The next 10 days don't look promising at all for snowmaking at local resorts, just hope there is a good cold spell the week before MLK weekend so places can make enough snow to bring out the crowds as I know they are all hurting for revenue. It was too depressing to look at the web cams over the holiday period (the coverage of snow looks like early April well after the season has ended vs what should be the busiest period of the year for ski places), but doubt any resort outside of maybe Snowshoe really did well with revenue.
mdr227 wrote:
The next 10 days don't look promising
"Normal" used to at least mean cold enough in January. This is turning out to be "the 34-degree winter".
mdr227 wrote:
The next 10 days don't look promising at all for snowmaking at local resorts, just hope there is a good cold spell the week before MLK weekend so places can make enough snow to bring out the crowds as I know they are all hurting for revenue. It was too depressing to look at the web cams over the holiday period (the coverage of snow looks like early April well after the season has ended vs what should be the busiest period of the year for ski places), but doubt any resort outside of maybe Snowshoe really did well with revenue.
Although I do my share of complaining about the high cost of lift tickets for midatlantic resports, from looking at the webcams and the sorry state of conditions and attendence I can appreciate the challenges in running a resport Must be very difficult to staff up and plan for food services, but then to have weather throw things off. Investments in building a base can be washed away in no time. Also remember last winter we had periods of wicked cold which also made for less than optimal situations. Am glad I am not in this business.
camp wrote:
mdr227 wrote:
The next 10 days don't look promising
"Normal" used to at least mean cold enough in January. This is turning out to be "the 34-degree winter".
After a very cold and snowy early season its sooo predicktable that a little Jan thaw brings the Negative Camp out...uall remember the Epic march last year?..vids coming out of SS looked like the best powder days in Utah!
plenty of cold around...its just a crap pattern...the worm will turn...
fishnski wrote:
plenty of cold around...its just a crap pattern...the worm will turn...
This would be so good if we lived around Hudson Bay. Our problem is since mid-summer, we've been getting all our storms coming out of Gulf of Mexico rather than Alberta or Great Lakes. That's the big worm that needs to turn. I'm not stating negative opinion. Just facts: its warm and rainy, and has been that way for months. I've got 10+ good days in, so I'm grateful for what I'm getting.
There's no indication yet that that cold air will reach us. It could easily get pushed away from us by warm air coming out of the Gulf.
Camp - Agree. This is not just a normal complaint about a January thaw. This has been going on for most of 2018. Storms fed by Gulf moisture move up the Ohio Valley and explode. One after the other. New Years Eve was a major bust. A deluge! This is the rainiest period I have seen in my lifetime with many, many paces breaking 100+ year records. And there is no end in sight to this pattern. If it were cold, we'd be buried in snow, instead we have mud. I do hope this worm changes direction, but for the first 2 weeks of January, that does not seem to be the case. Where is Uhler when you need him.
snowsmith wrote:
And there is no end in sight to this pattern....Where is Uhler when you need him.
hopefully make snow tonite..then a quick cold shot on the back of another Ohio vally storm on the 8th...then the real deal on the 12th...
It's all good because it still gets cold in a few places a thousand miles away once in awhile. Just because the average temps in the DCSKI day trip zone are now above freezing most of the "winter" is no cause for concern. There's always an opportunity to get that New Jersey Meadowlands indoor place open hahahahaha..
Dr. Cohen has some interesting theories about winter and the changing climate. This is a heavy read, but interesting never the less. He seems to be predicting a return to winter later this month for the Eastern US. As you would expect, these things take time, so it will be a gradual shift as our immense atmosphere changes to winter mode. It seems that this is dependent on various levels of the atmosphere warming over the Artic as winter progresses...in short, as best I can explain by reading Dr. Cohen. He does not talk about the recent incessant rain conditions.
https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation/
I guess the one good thing about getting a late winter is that the resorts are going to want to stay open as long as they can since it's been tough with little to nothing in a lot of places. If the snow sticks around until April, I think the ones that normally close earlier will still be trying get every last bit of revenue.
What disappoints me is that it seems that ever time I look at the extended forecast and it looks favorable, those good snowmaking temps always seem to push out yet another week. Earlier in the week, it was looking like we'd get some cold around the 4th. Now, it's looking like the 9th at the earliest.
Then by the time we get temps and hills get back to normal, I'll be on business travel for a couple weeks. /sigh not a good year for me lol.
Looks like the polar vortex is about to split into three. Hopefully this means a good blast of cold weather soon! https://www.axios.com/polar-vortex-is-about-to-split-up-5c2e7460-67fb-49da-b73a-079ffbe205b9.html
I burned my hand doing something dumb with the fire pit Tuesday night. Maybe ULLR will wake up Snow Miser for the offering of skin? I'm booked first and fourth weekends of February to head to PA and WV. We'll see if both of those work out. Next week or so not looking too good.
Thank you for offering your burnt skin. It appears to be working. Looks like the worm will start to turn next week and cold weather and possibly snow will be inching our way. Please soak your hand in gasoline and try again. This will satisfy Uhler and speed up the return of winter.👹 thank you for your sacrifice.
snowsmith wrote:
Thank you for offering
Well, I'm going to CO in a few weeks, so you can expect a dump in the Mid-A then too.
camp wrote:
snowsmith wrote:
Thank you for offering
Well, I'm going to CO in a few weeks, so you can expect a dump in the Mid-A then too.
wheres the like button?......I was watching this latest storm system for the last few days and thought that with elevation WV could pull off some snow at the tail end of it but none of the weather FCasts were going for it...but im sure the damage was done and it scared off some skier traffic...back at the ranch and a quote from Obs dude at Canaan,,,,,,,"8AM update: Light rain and snow mixed, 35F. First snowflakes 750AM.
915AM: Heavy snow and 32F. New snow 0.5 inch.
Hey, a Resort got a 1/2 inch of snow. Say alleluia!!! Of course that was after it rained again. We may even get some snow showers tonight? Next week looks like the week of pattern change....fingers crossed.
Here at Snowshoe it was raining about 11 PM on Friday and we woke up to an inch or 2 of snow. Snowed all morning until around 1030. Sun came out and mixed with clouds.
Weather models are converging on a pretty decent east coast snow event for this weekend. Looks like our favorite mountains could get at least 6 inches of snow. A little early yet for any solid predictions but we should expect to be doing some shoveling in the flat lands. I’ve seen predictions for as much as a foot in the DC / Baltimore area.
Snowsmith - don't forget about Wed + Thu ......
Hidden Valley ...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM WEDNESDAY TO 1 PM EST THURSDAY...
* WHAT...SNOW EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES, WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS UP TO 6 INCHES OVER THE WESTERN RIDGES, ARE EXPECTED.
* WHERE...SOMERSET COUNTY.
* WHEN...FROM 1 AM WEDNESDAY TO 1 PM EST THURSDAY.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. TREE BRANCHES COULD FALL. BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE COMMISSION REMIND MOTORISTS TO ADJUST SPEEDS BASED ON DRIVING CONDITIONS AS WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS PENNSYLVANIA ROADWAYS. VISIT WWW.511PA.COM FOR THE LATEST TRAVEL, ROADWAY AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. &&
SNOWSHOE
...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
THURSDAY AFTERNOON...
* WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 5 to
10 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE...Northwest Pocahontas and Southeast Randolph Counties.
* WHEN...From late tonight through Thursday afternoon.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult. The
hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening
commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The cold
wind chills as low as 15 below zero could result in
hypothermia if precautions are not taken.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for significant
snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue
to monitor the latest forecasts.
&&
Sticking my neck out for 8" total from tonite to Thursday nite in Canaan Valley. Check back on Friday and see if I have egg on my face. Hopefully just a big powda grin!
snapdragon wrote:
Sticking my neck out for 8" total from tonite to Thursday nite in Canaan Valley. Check back on Friday and see if I have egg on my face. Hopefully just a big powda grin!
U gonna have a big ole Powda Grin...with frosty icicles hanging from ur lips.... Snappy Happy!
Tonight Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all snow after 10pm. Cloudy, with a low around 17. Wind chill values as low as -2. Windy, with a west wind 34 to 38 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Wednesday Snow showers. Temperature falling to around 11 by 3pm. Wind chill values as low as -11. Very windy, with a west wind 31 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
Wednesday Night Snow showers. Low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -16. Windy, with a northwest wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Thursday Snow showers likely, mainly before 8am. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 11. Wind chill values as low as -17. Windy, with a northwest wind 23 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Thursday Night A chance of snow showers, mainly before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 5. Blustery, with a northwest wind 16 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 23. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Saturday A chance of snow after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 26. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday Night Snow likely, mainly between 9pm and 1am, then a chance of snow showers after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 28. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday Night A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Partly sunny, with a high near 28.
Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 19.
Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.......................the worm has turned...
Check out the East Coast 7 day snow fcast bullseye for good ole Tucker County,Wv....back in the day when the DC Tv mets would only mention Flurries in Garret County,Md I would call them up and say...TUCKER..TUCKER...TUCKER!!......20 to 24 inches....
fishnski wrote:....................the worm has turned...d!
Hopefully the worm stays turned for a little and our local Mountains can get back into the ski busiiness and people will show up. I have a spring flowing down my 1/2 mile gravel driveway that I have not seen in the 24 years I owned the place from all that freaking rain.
CVR is claiming 7" as of this morning and they are still getting pounded. Safe to say I will have a powda grin tomorrow!
7S, LM and HV are reporting 4" natural and 4" manmade. Guns are still on too, so it looks like a great out there with constant fresh snow!
Wish I didn't have to work ... :(
superguy wrote:
7S, LM and HV are reporting 4" natural and 4" manmade.
Reporting manmade doesn't make sense to me. Marketing peeps I guess.
Fresh snow is fresh snow, and it adds to the base. More than 4" was put down between mother nature and the machines, so it's a team effort! :)
Also, Liberty is supposed to announce their re-opening day later on today. It's amazing how much better it looks with some good snowmaking time.
Roundtop's looking better, and also looks like they're making snow on Susquehanna. I'd imagine Gunbarrel and Ramrod are getting love too.
7S reported they're making snow at 14000gpm of water. That's a little less than half-capacity for them.
3-6" Forecasted for Seven Springs and Hidden Valley to start Saturday. West Virginia resorts could be more.
Snowing all day on the Laurel Ridge. Snowmaking reported in progress on LM's Lower Wildcat hope to open it on Sunday. Upper Wildcat could be in play tomorrow.
Well..the worm has turned but is now digging underground as fast as he can...will he make it or will the permafrost catch him and freeze him solid?...............no..these are not wind chill temps....
I think the map is showing how much below ”˜normal’ the temperatures will be, not actual temperatures. It seems that the predictions of Dr. Cohen I posted a couple of weeks ago were spot on. I am very glad it has stopped raining. That was getting depressing. We finished the year with 71” of rain here in Baltimore, nearly twice our average rainfall, smashing all records and making for many gloomy days.
7S actually ran out of water supply this week. It's delaying getting Giant Steps open.
Goosebumps is now open though - and contrary to what the website says, it does have lights on it.
Game on this weekend and next week. Natty and snow making temps are back.
superguy wrote:
7S actually ran out of water supply this week. It's delaying getting Giant Steps open.
Goosebumps is now open though - and contrary to what the website says, it does have lights on it.
I frankly find it hard to believe that 7S ran out of snow making water in one of the wettest years in history.
snowsmith wrote:
superguy wrote:
7S actually ran out of water supply this week. It's delaying getting Giant Steps open.
Goosebumps is now open though - and contrary to what the website says, it does have lights on it.
I frankly find it hard to believe that 7S ran out of snow making water in one of the wettest years in history.
When there are a lot of cold days in a row, that can take a lot of water out of a snowmaking pond. Doesn't matter how much it rained a week or two before if it's too cold for any melting to replenish the pond. Running out of water was a big issue for Massanutten after they added snow guns starting 5-6 years ago. Had to solve the problem by building a 2-mile pipeline to be able to draw from a pond in the valley. Also got permission to draw from a local stream I think.
Well another bust of a storm🤬. Pouring rain tonight in DCSki country. We’re on the warm side of the storm again. We did get a few inches of snow in the Laurels. New England will be the recipient of the major snow. I hate to say it but....I’m sick of freaking rain.
Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:
Snowing all day on the Laurel Ridge. Snowmaking reported in progress on LM's Lower Wildcat hope to open it on Sunday. Upper Wildcat could be in play tomorrow.
Do you know how much they got from the weekend? Looking to head up mid-week, now that more is starting to open.
about 6 inches total, then a freeze. some nonsnowmaking ares will be skiable this week. crust with a dust on top
Worst ice storm I’ve seen in my 65 years on this planet. I don’t know how the trees around my house are still standing the with an inch and a half of ice on all the branches. Tried skiing today and I guess they groomed the slopes while it was still raining. The worst frozen corduroy I have had the unfortunate opportunity to ski on. Yesterday the conditions were great. Thanks to more freaking rain, the conditions today are horrible. Hopefully, the can grind this stuff up with groomer to give us a better surface tomorrow. I feel sorry for any beginner skiing today.
snowsmith wrote:
superguy wrote:
7S actually ran out of water supply this week. It's delaying getting Giant Steps open.
Goosebumps is now open though - and contrary to what the website says, it does have lights on it.
I frankly find it hard to believe that 7S ran out of snow making water in one of the wettest years in history.
I have the screenshot of the conversation with their social media person. Someone else mentioned that a line was broken on GS which seems to make more sense, but either they were wrong or intentionally vague in how they said it.
I only reported what I heard. If there's a way to do a direct upload rather than a link (I've had problems linking from Google photos), I'm happy to provide it.
Friends were at RT on Monday and they said things were great, although extremely cold on the greens. Wind didn't help either. I was going to go up with them, but my son ended up being sick. Heard the blacks were better sheltered though.
All the powder up in the Northeast just became ice.... True East Coast condtions this weekend.
Not so sure about that. ST's made snow last night with some still in progress, and the Laurel resorts got natural and made last night. With more snowmaking, it'll be a fine weekend.
Looks like we're going to get some warm and rain next week after all this cold. Forecast is showing a bunch of moisture and milder weather coming up from the Gulf. I hope that changes and another big cold/storm comes our way instead!
normal quick warmup...just the mid atlantic..last run of the new gps didnt look bad at all...but we gotta get thru this 1st!...I dont ski anyday below 10 and its got to be with a light wind....florida and age have weakened me!....
WV ALPPS
Tuesday
Snow likely before 10am, then snow showers likely, mainly between 10am and 5pm. Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 9 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -10. West wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
Tuesday Night
A slight chance of snow showers before 9pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around -3. Wind chill values as low as -23. Breezy, with a west wind 21 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday
A slight chance of snow showers before 2pm. Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 8. Wind chill values as low as -31. Windy, with a west wind 25 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around -15. Breezy, with a west wind 21 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
Thursday
Sunny and cold, with a high near 2.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around -1.
Friday
A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday Night
A chance of snow showers before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
46 below actual temps the other day in international falls...close to or will break the all time record low in chicago in a couple of days...remember.. to get to the all time record temps set way back in the late 1700's with it all country back then to now with a huge heat island effect is crazy impressive cold!
***MPLS had a similar cold week in 1996. Not all that unusual to get that cold every so often. Three days of solid, brutal cold then back to ten degrees above average and rain Saturday... Seems a lot like last season and the season bnefore.... and the season before... But hey, we got two really cold days so far this winter and it's a;most February. WINNING!
Fishnski - they did not start keeping temperatures records until the late 1800’s. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 was near Helena, Montana in 1954. It was -70 degrees F. Not good ski weather unless you want your nose to fall off. It is going to be damn cold.... for 2 days.
Since it is almost 70 degrees outside... here is some hope!
So, the southern slide would likely mean snow on the ground for Pitchers & Catchers Day, though we might have to call it the Pitchers & Catchers Eve Storm. It's just such a more...poignant occasion to have snow when the Nats begin spring training. That worked out really well for me in 2014.
How is Blue Knob's ski school? My 10 y/o is improving and can handle Sidewinder at Whitetail well. Since I haven't been to Blue Knob since 2012, I can't recall too well how it would be for someone of his experience level.
7S looks like total crap on the webcams. They got wrecked. Definitely showing thin spots and snow-mixed dirt. HV doesn't look as bad with minimal thin spots on the front side. LM only has the one camera, so who knows how the rest of the mountain looks, but it looks like it's thinning out a bit.
Surprisingly, ST resorts appear to be in much better shape. All 3 look surprisingly good. Snowmaking will be back tomorrow night.
Wow, you are right, 7 Springs web cam pictures look like it's late March not early February. From long range forecasts it doesn't look like there will be any good stretches of cold weather at least until the end of the month so let's hope we get another cold March like we did last year to at least extend the season a few weeks. The Snowtime resorts as they always do have done a great job building up their bases and have stood up very well.
Snowshoe looks good!
All of Laurel's snowmaking trails and slopes are open with the exception of the short Woodlands trail. Their Facebook page said they will start snowmaking as soon as conditions permit.
I checked the cams today and it looks a lot better than it did yesterday. They at least got the snow pushed around to the point that the main parts look pretty well covered so folks shouldn't be hitting rocks. What they did this year doesn't look like the typcial 7S snowmaking. Seems like they focused on the middle of the slopes and not so much on the outer edges. Stowe slope didn't look so hot a few weeks ago - looked really thin skier's right, so seeing it as it is now doesn't surprise me. Snow report lists bare spots on nearly all major runs. Cats are still busy out there trying to build the super pipe. I wonder if it's worth it/
HV was still looking good today - they closed a few runs but still have most open. LM's cam looked a lot better today than yesterday, so hat's off to the groomers on their repair job.
I'm not sure what's up with BK. FB report this morning was saying 14 runs open and one chair (66), but the website's showing only 6 open, with that report not making any sense (Stembogen Bowl is open, but traverse and below is closed?). Winterfest is supposed to start tonight and go thru the weekend.
ST's resorts are still looking good. I'm quite impressed that they're holding on so well. Snowmaking will be back tonight just about everywhere it seems (BK's the only one I haven't seen comment on it). It's looking like they'll have a good window for round the clock snowmaking for at least the next day or so. I'll be at RT tomorrow afternoon/evening - I'm expecting the guns to be on.
2 week forecast looks like we'll have some slightly warmer days but cooler nights. Snowmaking may be possible for ST, but RT looks like it'll have the best chances for it. Laurels look like they'll have good night temps for snowmaking chances.
It's been a wild year. I'm glad that a lot of places took advantage of the cold snap we had a couple weeks ago to put out as much snow as they could. It looks like it's paying off for those that did.
wfyurasko wrote:
How is Blue Knob's ski school? My 10 y/o is improving and can handle Sidewinder at Whitetail well. Since I haven't been to Blue Knob since 2012, I can't recall too well how it would be for someone of his experience level.
Certainly inexpensive to do group lessons at BK. Not too many options for how to ski down though for a cautious adv. beginner/intermediate. I wouldn't recommend it for a day trip unless someone is comfortable on all the blues at Whitetail.
However, if staying overnight slopeside, that can be fun. At least it was during the DCSki Gatherings I went to at BK, including one where I brought my friend's son.
Thanks MarzNC, it seems like a stretch at this point my for 10 y/o's ability; maybe in a few years.
Of my skiing buddies, one abanndoned us for Costa Rica and another is between jobs.
I wouldn't mind something other than Whitetail, as good as it is. Massanutten looks like a good mountain for my son next year. Blue Knob though, that was was fun. The Laurel Mountain Country Club post has me intrigued by that hill as well.
wfyurasko wrote:
Thanks MarzNC, it seems like a stretch at this point my for 10 y/o's ability; maybe in a few years.
Of my skiing buddies, one abanndoned us for Costa Rica and another is between jobs.
I wouldn't mind something other than Whitetail, as good as it is. Massanutten looks like a good mountain for my son next year. Blue Knob though, that was was fun. The Laurel Mountain Country Club post has me intrigued by that hill as well.
Ya, I can remember the first year my son came along and we had the Moutaintop Chalet off Jack Rabbit. We had to hike across that over to Mambo Alley or drive up to the lodge. He coudln't handle Jack Rabbit just yet. They do have a nice green run and dedicated lift up top.. and upper 66 is also doable for pretty new beginners.. Getting on at the mid station can be challenging, but not as challenging as venturing past it over to Stemboggen.
This is really turning out to be a frustrating year. Seems like every decent cold snap we get doesn't last long, then we get a rain/wintry mix snap that wrecks the hills. Then the cold snap comes back, and snow's made to repair the hills. Rinse and repeat. The jerkiness of the season reminds me of a teenager trying to learn to drive a stick shift. Hopefully we can actually get a good cruise of cold.
superguy wrote:
This is really turning out to be a frustrating year. Seems like every decent cold snap we get doesn't last long, then we get a rain/wintry mix snap that wrecks the hills. Then the cold snap comes back, and snow's made to repair the hills. Rinse and repeat. The jerkiness of the season reminds me of a teenager trying to learn to drive a stick shift. Hopefully we can actually get a good cruise of cold.
I totally agree, if you look at the long range forecast for temperatures most of the western half of the country for the next few weeks is expected to be well below normal while we will teeter along probably slightly below normal (which for this time of year is not that cold especially not for some good consistent snow making). Just hoping by early March the cold pushes our way and we can get a good week of snow making at the nearby resorts to provide a good month in march.
Looks like it's back this weekend.. and bigly.. We'll be skiing with the scout troop at WinterPlace Saturday assuming they're open. Got a bunk house across from the lodge booked. We skied in the rain there last season as well.
Freezing rain currently in the Laurels. Condition are hard pack after the rain on Friday. Hopefully, the second half of February will not be a melt down like last year. I’m sick of freakin’ rain.
snowsmith wrote:
Freezing rain currently in the Laurels. Condition are hard pack
We left just as the precip. started and got home before dark. Both early mornings were fun, today certainly better. Disappointed they made no snow at HV. Full days of directing pressure along the length of the skis.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/
The overall pattern hasn't changed for some time but there is hope as the cold air is trying to push our way. Precipitation continues coming our way and with at least a return to normal temps March may be our "February".
You know the forecast is GRIM when SS is blowing snow during Presidents Day on everyone near Shavers Center.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
You know the forecast is GRIM when SS is blowing snow during Presidents Day on everyone near Shavers Center.
I'll post separately in the SS thread, but I was there today, and they badly needed it. Too bad all that precip fell as rain instead of snow.
Looks like we'll get some snow up there in WV Tuesday to Wednesday before the rain washes it all away again Saturday. Surprised someone hasn't already been here to point that out while gloating that the season and climate are just fine.
crgildart wrote:
...been here to point that out while gloating that the season and climate are just fine.
Ouch ;) Is there a moderator in the house? Good to meet you and ski some runs at Laurel.
camp wrote:
crgildart wrote:
...been here to point that out while gloating that the season and climate are just fine.
Ouch ;) Is there a moderator in the house? Good to meet you and ski some runs at Laurel.
2 peas in a pod...lol...
its just the crap pattern we are in u dodo brains...plenty of cold out there....remember last march was Epic in the Wv Alpps...powder dump after dump....so get off ur high horses and do a snow dance..put some positive vibes into the situation!
15 degrees at Canaan this early morn..looks like some light snow has fallen overnite...still see some flakes on the cam...and.. they are making Snow..Kudos to Canaan Valley!!!
fishnski wrote:
....so get off ur high horses and do a snow dance..put some positive vibes into the situation!
Awesome! You always know where to find a deep purple blob when we need one. It's like a secret tree stash that you share. Thank you
camp wrote:
fishnski wrote:
....so get off ur high horses and do a snow dance..put some positive vibes into the situation!
Awesome! You always know where to find a deep purple blob when we need one. It's like a secret tree stash that you share. Thank you
Good one Camp..but Fake news..while uall are bitching about this "Climate'...here is what is going on real time...7am this morn...
yeh..i got a great tan down here in florida..sweet!
fishnski wrote:
yeh..i got a great tan down here in florida..sweet!
Keep the tan man. Bring us the blue blobs!
Looks like the Escimos up at the North Pole are also getting a sweet tan.
When we had our dry Sept. and Oct. I thought we finally got beyond that rainy weather pattern. I truly hope and pray it is not returning. This morning we were supposed to get freezing drizzle. However, it's now 1:30 in the afternoon and it's still drizzling. And more rain is supposed to be on the way. We mid-Atlantic skiers are true diehards.
snowsmith wrote:
..And more rain is supposed to be on the way. We mid-Atlantic skiers are true diehards.
Are you at HV this weekend? I may go again on Sunday if it dries out etc....
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