Pretty dismal snowpack numbers westwide now. Not a single basin has an above median snowpack as of February 4. Missing on that plot due to the late arrival of California snowpack data is a basin in the south Sierra, but that was below median too as of February 3.
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| Source: NRCS |
In the Wasatch, many sites are at their lowest levels since the start of the SNOTEL record, in some cases extending back more than 40 years. Every site is below the 25th percentile, meaning they are all in the lower quarter of prior snowpack water equivalent on this date.
There will be no Steenburgh winter this year.
😢😢
ReplyDeleteNorth Carolina took our snow 😭
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping we get enough snow from the upcoming storms to MAYBE help some of the the 6-7k slopes to be skiable again.
Not looking good. When is Steenburgh winter again? I know it doesn't start until Collins gets a 100" depth but when does it end?
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I have spent some more time looking at the snotel data in Utah since 1981 comparing it to the 11-year solar cycle. The correlation between above/below normal water years and the min/max of the solar cycle is very strong. Looking at Utah Water Years between 1981 to 2025 compared to a three year period that includes the solar max/min year there was a correlation in 18 of 21 (86%) years. If you just look at the eight solar max/min years and compare it to the water year it matched 7 out of 8 (88%) years.
Data can be found at UtahWeather dot blogspot dot com for anyone interested.
It ends Feb 10
DeleteThe original post: https://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/2011/02/last-day-of-steenburgh-winter.html
ReplyDeleteCondolences on your (non-)ski season. Hasn't been great on the BC South Coast either, but good out by Revelstoke.
DeleteCoincidentally Feb 10th was my "sunscreen on" day in the wasatch - so there's something noticeable about the sun strength around that date.
But at least it’s a dry low snowpack……ba dum cha
ReplyDeleteHas anyone looked at the winter of 76-77. Alta did not open until the latter part of January.
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected according to google
ReplyDeleteDue to a severe drought, Alta Ski Area in Utah did not open for the 1976-77 winter season until January 5, 1977.
Drought Conditions: The 1976-77 season is noted as one of the worst in Utah history, with only 30.5 inches of snow recorded at the Alta-Guard station in Nov-Dec 1976.
Delayed Opening: The lack of early-season snow forced most Utah resorts to wait until a storm in early January allowed them to open.
Comparison: While many resorts remained closed for the Christmas holidays, the January 5th opening was a direct result of the lack of natural snow.
Discussed over the holidays: https://wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-this-worst-christmas-skiing-ever-in.html
DeleteWhether this season at the end will be worse than 76/77 is hard to say, but considering lifts were spinning and we've had skiing for part of the period 76/77 did not, it will be hard to do worse than 76/77 even if we don't get a lot of snow from here on out.