Great skiing for the start of 2008

Despite global warming, most North American ski resorts are celebrating about the best snow conditions in 30 years, from the Inland Northwest and British Columbia. eastward to New England and the prime ski areas in Quebec northeast of Montreal.

Even drought-parched California has seen heavy dumps of snow near Lake Tahoe. The most popular ski resorts in Colorado and New Mexico boast of the best snows at this time of year since at least 1977. More than 10 feet of snow was on the ground at Wolf Creek, Colo., as of late last week.

In our region, snowfall totals so far range from 100 to 150 inches. As the La Niña cooler sea-surface temperature event in the south-central Pacific Ocean continues to influence global weather patterns, don’t be surprised to see several hundred inches of new snow between now and the end of this season. This would put the final totals in the higher mountains to more than 300 inches.

Speaking of La Niña, this phenomenon did weaken a bit in early December, but has strengthened again over the last few weeks. Based on current data, I expect La Niña to influence our weather in the Inland Empire through early April, perhaps longer.

The real snowfall champion of all-time on the North American continent remains the Mount Baker Ski Area in Washington, followed closely by resorts on the slopes of nearby Mount Rainier. The 3 feet of additional snow in late December brought the region’s 2007-08 snowpack up to near 20 feet in places.

During the last major La Niña event in the late 1990s, the Mount Baker Ski Area’s snowfall total for the 1998-99 season reached a whopping all-time record of 1,124 inches. This incredible snow depth equaled the height of a 13-story building. This amount surpassed the old world record of 1,123 inches at the Paradise Ranger Station on the upper slopes of Mount Rainier during 1971-72.

By the time Mount Baker’s snowfall season ended on June 30, 1999, the weather station had measured 1,140 inches, a world record for snowfall measured over a 12-month period.

The deepest snow base of 318 inches in early April broke the previous record, also set on Mount Baker, of 301 inches measured in April 1946. Although not likely, it’s possible that the Mt. Baker Ski Resort may approach the 1,000-inch mark in seasonal snowfall by the end of June.

As far as near-term weather is concerned, more cold and snowy weather should arrive in our part of the country by the middle of the month, if not sooner. The coldest weather of the winter season is expected in mid- to late January as temperatures may plunge to near or below the zero mark, even in the lower elevations. Frigid arctic air has been building in Siberia and Alaska. Temperatures in Siberia last month plunged to minus-63 degrees.

It should warm up to above-normal levels in early February before more snowy weather returns to the region. A big thaw is expected in early March with occasional rain and snow in mid- to late March.

If La Niña continues to hold on, early indications point to a cooler and wetter early spring season across the Inland Northwest. Stay tuned.