The West finally settles down after an extremely active stretch, while the East prepares for three storms this upcoming week. Here's the forecast scoop in this week's SnoCast. 

East

On Thursday, a storm continues to lift northeastward through the Great Lakes, delivering blustery winds and a healthy 6-12" of snow for parts of northern Michigan and Wisconsin. Great news for Midwest ski areas around Granite Peak, Whitecap, Shanty Creek, and Big Powderhorn. 

This same system shifts to the Northeast later Thursday-Friday, delivering much-need 5-10"+ of snow for northern New England ski areas, with highest amounts in northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Look to Jay Peak, Burke Mountain, Loon, Sunday River and others nearby.

Unfortunately, warmer air sneaks in from the south generating a wintry mix parts of the Catskills, Poconos, and Berkshires with slick travel expected. 

Colder air returns for all through Friday with light upslope snow lingering across the northern Appalachians, which will be followed up by a beautiful weekend for skiing and riding. Get out and love it! 

A second system will track up the Appalachians to interior New England Sunday through Monday (1/22-23). This time, the rain/snow line threatens to bisect New England from southwest to northeast, so most likely areas to see snow remain across northern Pennsylvania , New York, Vermont and perhaps northern New Hampshire. Keep monitoring as the rain/snow line will shift based on the exact storm track. 

A brief lull Tuesday, before yet another storm targets the Northeast by mid-next week with another good chance of snow for the north. A bit too far out to talk amounts, but at this point, any snow is good snow.

West

After an unbelievably active stretch, the West finally appears to have a break in view. With nearly a dozen separate storms since late December, California and Utah have had huge totals, now topping some 300-400" on the season (in some cases more, including Alta at 426" and Brighton at 412"!). Excellent news for the snowpack and water resupply out West.

UPDATED snow total map for California for a period of 22 days stretching from December 26 to January 17. The gridded analysis estimates from https://t.co/nZVgNpDgTP and some observations indicate upwards of 15 FEET of snow fell in the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada. pic.twitter.com/cuQjWAEM58

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 19, 2023

On Thursday, a cold front continues to sag across southern California toward the Southwest U.S. with snow drifting over the four-corners states by Friday. Expect a general 2-6" of snow for the Arizona, southern Colorado, and New Mexico mountains to round out the week. 

Most of Saturday looks pleasant to hit the slopes, albeit breezy over the Rockies.

 A system drops in from western Canada and the northern U.S. Rockies by Saturday night-Sunday with potential for 5-10" in the Washington Cascades, and a fresh 2-6" for Oregon and Idaho before slowly drifting down the northern Rockies by Monday.

This will open to the door and allow much colder air to spill in for much of the West next week.

Check in again each Thursday for a new SnoCast. Until then, happy skiing and riding!

- Meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin

As we say farewell to 2022, we also say hello to more storms and mountain snow across the West and a warm up in the East. Details on ski conditions ahead in this week's SnoCast. 

There's new snow falling this Sunday (Dec. 11), so grab those skis and boards and get to your favorite mountain. Check out the live cams as snow falls across the Northeast and a powerful storm continues to dig across the West.

Here we go again with another very active pattern and heavy mountain snow on tap for much of the Western U.S. While no large storms are in view for the East, we're seeking windows of opportunity. Let's dig into this week's SnoCast. 

A busy weather week continues nation-wide with a fast storm pattern. We'll see multiple waves of snow out West, and changeable conditions in the East heading into the first weekend of December. Let's dig into this week's SnoCast.

Ask the general public to name an alpine skiing “Mecca” — described as a location where people, who share a common interest, yearn to go — even those who don’t ski can come up with at least Aspen or Vail, if not Killington and Sun Valley.

Mid-winter in the Northeast doesn’t have to be all shivery gloom.

Following big snow in the Southwest and Four Corners, a storm will work across the country and deliver fresh snow to many Northeast ski areas to finish the week. With new powder all around, let’s dig into this week’s SnoCast forecast.

There’s something to be said about the magical feeling you get when you look outside and everything is coated in fluffy white snow. To the people who live in ski resort towns, it’s just another wintery day, but to those who come from warmer climates, it’s a winter wonderland! 

Ski towns in America tend to have good beer, but Vermont might be the state to pair powder and brews best. The Green Mountain State has more than 60 operating breweries and approximately two dozen ski areas — the most per capita for each category.

Mountains commonly found around and under Vermont, airports have been known to intimidate pilots flying in from the “flatlands,” but flight instructor and ski industry veteran Charlie Rockwell says the nearby peaks are really no big deal. The terrain, while rugged in places, is certainly no reason to shy away from sampling some of the fine alpine skiing that Rockwell knows even better than the airports in his Green Mountain home.

In an age of continued corporate consolidation in the ski industry, the number of independently owned mountains continues to shrink.  

Over the weekend, I used one of Indy Pass days over at Suicide Six Ski Area in Vermont. Compared to the crowds at other local mountains last weekend, I think I made the right choice.

Encore Renewable Energy and Bromley Mountain Ski Resort announced the completion of a 615kWdc solar project on land owned by Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vermont. The new project, jointly developed by Encore and Tangent Energy Solutions, will generate clean, locally generated solar power and help Bromley reach their sustainability goals. The energized solar array will generate enough electricity to power 70 average households per year and offset the emissions of 120 passenger vehicles annually. 

Getting kids on skis;as early as possible can be rewarding for a lifetime of skiing. But planning a ski trip — especially with kids in tow — isn’t as easy as just picking up and going. Instead of just “following the snow,” you’ll want to pick a ski mountain that truly caters to kids — one that offers top-notch ski lessons, kid-friendly trails and many off-the-snow activities as well.

A town board in Stowe has denied an application for a proposed parking lot aimed at relieving parking pressures for the Stowe Mountain Resort.

The top New England ski towns are the topic of annual debate, but which are the top towns for cross country skiing? Some of the favorite New England towns and areas to go on a cross country (XC) ski vacation include Stowe and Woodstock in Vermont, the Mt. Washington Valley in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Bethel in Maine. Here are more details from XCSkiResorts.com about XC skiing at these fabulous New England ski towns:

Weather is ideal leading into the Christmas holiday stretch with seasonably chilly temps and bursts of snow for the East, and a widespread mountain snow for the West. Let’s dig into the details in this week’s SnoCast.

No matter how much you hate the snow, you’ve got to admit that New England knows a thing or two about picturesque ski towns. Whether you’re planning on shredding some pow, cruising the bunny slopes, or just sipping hot drinks in a lodge, here are some of New England’s best ski towns.

No less than nine Heartland ski areas are celebrating significant milestones this year. All have been in business at least 60 years and one started 85 years ago, according to the National Ski Areas Association.