October 8 outlook<\/a>, NOAA estimated an 83 percent chance that this El Ni\u00f1o would surpass the strength of every event in its historical record dating back to 1950 during the October-to-December period.<\/p>\n\u201cThe stronger the El Ni\u00f1o gets, the more confident we feel that typical El Ni\u00f1o conditions will occur,\u201d Pastelok told Outside<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s where AccuWeather expects the snow to fall, and what that means for skiers.<\/p>\n
California Will Get Snow, but Flooding Could Also Happen<\/h3>\n
California could see repeated bouts of heavy mountain snow as a series of Pacific storms, including atmospheric rivers, moves inland.<\/p>\n
Pastelok expects several atmospheric rivers to arrive during the winter, specifically during the middle and latter parts of the season. Those storms could deliver feet of snow in the mountains, although heavy precipitation could also create flooding and landslide risks at lower elevations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere may be more snow in California,\u201d Pastelok said, comparing the state\u2019s outlook with Utah and Colorado. \u201cBut the downside for California is that it could be much stormier, making travel to ski resorts more difficult than in Utah or Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expect Deep Snow in Utah\u2019s Wasatch Range<\/h3>\n
Utah\u2019s Wasatch Range is also expected to benefit from an active southern storm track, with above-average snowfall possible across the region.<\/p>\n
AccuWeather predicts Salt Lake City will receive between 50 and 65 inches of snow this winter, compared with just 3.7 inches last season, the city\u2019s least snowy winter on record.<\/p>\n
Those figures represent snowfall in the city rather than the nearby mountains, where accumulations are substantially greater.\u00a0That\u2019s good news for skiers hoping to carve turns at Park City, Snowbird, Alta, and the region\u2019s other world-famous resorts.<\/p>\n
In Colorado, an Early Start to Ski Season<\/h3>\n
Colorado and the Central and Southern Rockies could also see a significant improvement over last winter.<\/p>\n
AccuWeather expects an early start to the snow season across the region, with additional storms arriving as winter progresses. By February, the Four Corners region is forecast to experience cooler-than-average temperatures and above-average precipitation, conditions that could support additional mountain snowfall.<\/p>\n
Pastelok said Colorado might not receive as much snow as California this winter, but should still experience good skiing conditions.<\/p>\n
Snow In the Nevada Desert<\/h3>\n
The Great Basin, which stretches across Nevada and portions of neighboring states, is another region where AccuWeather expects above-average snowfall.<\/p>\n
The forecast favors an early start to the snow season across the region, although AccuWeather has not provided specific seasonal accumulation estimates for individual mountain areas.<\/p>\n
Where Snowfall Could Disappoint<\/h3>\n
The snow outlook is less promising across much of the Pacific Northwest and Northern\u00a0Rockies, where periods of snowfall could be interrupted by extended dry stretches.<\/p>\n
In the Northeast, warmer temperatures and below-average snowfall could create particularly difficult conditions for lower-elevation ski areas.<\/p>\n
Pastelok said smaller ski areas could struggle to maintain adequate snow coverage as repeated warm spells bring rain and ice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people hear that, they assume it\u2019s going to be a bad ski season,\u201d Pastelok said. \u201cAnd for many smaller, lower-elevation ski areas, that\u2019s probably true. Warmer temperatures, rain and ice are going to make it difficult to keep snow on the slopes.\u201d<\/p>\n
But higher-elevation resorts in northern Vermont and New Hampshire could fare better, and the region may still experience significant snowstorms in late January or February.<\/p>\n
He added that three previous Super\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o winters brought major snowstorms to the Northeast in late January or early February, potentially offering skiers some relief after an otherwise disappointing season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe season could start out poorly, but a big snowstorm in late January or February could still give skiers a good weekend on the slopes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
How Much Can Skiers Trust the Forecast?<\/h3>\n
Before booking a weeklong ski vacation based on the forecast, there\u2019s one thing worth keeping in mind, Pastelok said. Seasonal snowfall predictions are better at identifying broad weather patterns than predicting conditions at a particular mountain on a particular date.<\/p>\n
Pastelok said long-range forecasters use historical weather patterns and current atmospheric conditions to identify which regions are most likely to experience active storm periods. But even an exceptionally strong El Ni\u00f1o can throw forecasters a curveball.<\/p>\n
For example, Pastelok said that during the powerful El Ni\u00f1o of 2015-16, the jet stream shifted farther north than expected, leaving Southern California and the Four Corners region, including Colorado, with less snow than forecasters had anticipated.<\/p>\n
And even when the storms do arrive, more precipitation doesn\u2019t necessarily mean more snow. If temperatures are warm enough, it could fall as rain instead.<\/p>\n
AccuWeather plans to update its winter forecast in mid-November, Pastelok said.<\/p>\n
While a seasonal forecast might help skiers decide which part of the country to visit, figuring out exactly when to book that trip is another matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re asking me, should I go on a snow trip on February 2 because we\u2019re going to get a lot of snow right before that?\u201d Pastelok said. \u201cThat\u2019s hard for me to tell you right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published October 16, 2026 01:51PM You\u2019ve probably heard about the weather phenomenon called Super El Ni\u00f1o, which climate scientists predict will impact winter weather. And if you\u2019re a skier, this year\u2019s Super El Ni\u00f1o could bring some pretty good news, with parts of the American West expected to get more snow than usual. According to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}