10/18/2009 6:43:00 PM
by Dave Tragethon
in Connection, Media Center
| 9 comments
Hi Folks!
There’s good news for skiers and snowboarders in the winter forecast. The Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society held its 17th Annual Winter Weather Meeting Saturday at OMSI. This is the event where meteorologists and climatologists predict what the winter will bring to the Northwest. They examine patterns of indicators like changing pacific ocean temperatures or sun spots. They find similar patterns from past seasons, and then make a forecast based on that information.
Last year they pretty much agreed we’d be skiing before Thanksgiving. Oops.
So keep in mind, this is science, but it is far from exact. It’s speculation – but these are the experts and here’s what they think this winter will bring (Play the Video):
George Taylor – former state climatologist, see’s an early start to the winter, which should be near average in snow.
Pete Parsons Meteorologist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture expects a near average winter, with the possibility of big snows in January.
The most optimistic skier forecast came from Kyle Dittmer a Hydrologist – Meterologist for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. He thinks the year will bring above average snowfall – particularly December through February.
For more details you can download the individual presentations from the AMS website. We want to thank George, Pete and Kyle for sharing their forecasts with us and please – no nasty emails to them, OK?
So you’ve heard from some of the experts – it’s time for you to weigh in on what you think winter will bring to Mt. Hood this season. Let’s have some fun here – take a guess on the following:
- What day will Meadows open for the season, and what will the snowpack measured at the telemetry at the bottom of Mt. Hood Express be?
- How much snow do you think we’ll get total this season at Meadows – remembering that we set a record of 780 inches last year, well above our average of 430 inches.
We look forward to hearing from you, and, based on what the expert forecasters say, we will see you on the mountain soon!
Onward!
Meadows Team