Dry mountain snow sucking up rain
What’s up with what’s coming down?
Skier-teasing snow, followed by bone-chilling temperatures, and now rain … The December weather has been eventful, if somewhat punishing. How’s it all playing out? We asked some experts.
Q: What’s all the rain doing to the mountain snowpack?
A: Ron Abramovich, a water supply specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Office in Boise, compared the situation outside to a snowcone. “You can only add so much of the cherry flavoring before it comes out the bottom of the cone,” he explained. “The mountain snowpack is the same.” After nearly a month of cold, dry weather, the snow is sucking up the moisture. Computer sensors placed at high elevations around Idaho and Washington show that much of the snow is still capable of absorbing rainfall, but “if it continues, it can start melting,” Abramovich said.
Q: How much snow is left in the mountains?
A: Despite a snowy start, the region’s snowpack is well-below average, with some sites at near-record low snow depths, according to measurements taken by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. North Idaho has about 54 percent of its usual snowpack. Eastern Washington is only slightly higher. Most mountains have lost about a foot of snowpack in the last week, according to reports from remote monitoring stations.
Q: Are ski resorts open?
A: Yes, and most resort operators say the skiing is surprisingly good. Phil Edholm, at Lookout Pass, said his slopes have only lost about 4 inches of base, with at least 2 feet remaining in most places. “The last couple of days we’ve lost a little bit of snow. It’s not the conditions we want, but all the lifts are open.”
The snow level was about 5,000 feet for most of the day Thursday, meaning most ski areas received a mix of rain and snow. The snow level is expected to drop to 3,000 feet by Friday night, raising the chances of a fresh coating for Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. The week after Christmas is typically the busiest and most important business week of the season for ski hills. “We’re just waiting it out,” John Emminger, owner of 49 Degrees North, said of the recent rain. At least there’s a decent base on the mountain, he added. “Anytime last year, I’d be doing backflips over the conditions we have right now.”
Q: Any chance for a white Christmas?
A: Not much, according to Jeffrey Cote, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Spokane. There’s a chance snow will fall in the mountains tonight, but Spokane and Coeur d’Alene will only see more rain. The weather service is not forecasting any snow for Saturday or Christmas, Cote said. “If you had a foot of snow on the ground before the warm up, you probably will still have some on the ground Christmas.”