What Students at the U Can Expect From Winter Storms at Local Ski Resorts

December 6, 2016

The U’s skiing and snowboarding population is abuzz with excitement over the snow showers frosting the Wasatch Mountains. With a late start to the season, snow has finally begun to accumulate and the weather has been cool enough for resorts to produce artificial snow. Many ski resorts are already open and the rest will soon follow suit.

Meteorologists have blamed the lack of snow on the La Niña, a weather phenomenon that appears every three to five years. La Niña is the counterpart of El Niño in the El Niño Southern Oscillation, also called the ENSO Cycle. The cycle explains the temperature fluctuations between the ocean and atmosphere in the equatorial pacific. The oscillation causes changes in weather patterns in North America.

“La Niña episodes represent periods of below-average sea surface temperatures across the east-central Equatorial Pacific,” according to an article published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Global climate La Niña impacts tend to be opposite those of El Niño impacts. In the tropics, ocean temperature variations in La Niña also tend to be opposite those of El Niño.”

Meteorologist and OnTheSnow writer Chris Tomer said that he thinks Utah ski resorts will likely have 90-95 percent of normal snowfall this year. Although La Niña doesn’t increase precipitation in Utah, historically its effects haven’t been devastating. The Wasatch Snow Forecast has similar predictions, estimating that in December we can expect cooler weather and scattered snow storms.

“I’m optimistic that we’ll get more snow. I think that the weather patterns changing could have some effect but I think we’ll still have an okay year,” U student and avid skier Tyler MacDonald said. “I just hope we still get a few good powder days.”

“Less than 10 percent of our annual snow comes before November 15th,” said Nathan Rafferty, the CEO and president of Ski Utah in a season-opening press conference. “November is historically a low-snow month and things change quickly here.”

Despite the low snowfall so far, students at the U are still hoping for a good snow year.

Rafferty said, “Utah always delivers when it comes to snow.”

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OPENING DATES:

Alta : OPEN

Beaver : TBD

Brian Head : OPEN

Brighton: OPEN

Cherry Peak : TBD

Deer Valley : OPEN

Eagle Point : Dec. 17

Nordic Valley : Dec. 10