September 29, 2009
by Dave Tragethon
in Connection
| 15 comments
Snow in September? It's not that uncommon - in fact we received our first snowfall on the mountain a few weeks ago. It was enough to turn things white at the top of Express and a little lower, but it melted off. Will this storm have more sticking power? It's unlikely that this will be the storm that we build a base out of and open with, but as freaky as weather has been world-wide, who knows?
The pictures below were taken Wednesday morning between snow showers. By 11 AM there was about 3 inches of snow settled on the ground on Buttercup.
It certainly serves as a wake up call and we're on schedule to open early if the snow allows. George Taylor, former state climatologist, has already identified this season as having the potential to start early. The Farmer's Almanac seems to agree - predicting above average precip and below average temperatures in November, December and January.
Winter temperatures and precipitation will be near normal, on average, with above-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will occur in early to mid- and late December, mid-January, and early to mid-February, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, early January, and mid-February.
That's sizing up to be a pretty good forecast for winter recreation. An early opening with lots of snow makes for a great season for everyone! And a reminder - the earliest opening on record at Meadows was October 20th - and we've been open on Halloween more than once in our 42 year history!
See you on the mountain - soon!