Snow Expert's Winter 24-25 Outlook Is a Mixed Bag

Our friends at Powderchasers, the foremost authority on predicting and chasing snowstorms across North America, have released their Winter 24-25 Outlook for us to dissect. As the headline suggests, their forecast is some what of a mixed bag.

You can read their entire forecast here, but let's get straight to the point. You want to know how the ski season is going to shake out at your local resort or region.

Thankfully, Powderchasers has done a fantastic job of summarizing their predictions in a neat and concise way (see below). TLDR; California, New Mexico, and the East Coast are on the 'hot seat' for below-average snowfall, while the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies could have seasons to remember.

See below for the snowfall outlooks for each region in The United States.

Powderchasers' Regional Snowfall Outlook, Winter '24/'25

Pacific Northwest Snowfall Outlook

• High confidence in above-average snowfall due to the alignment of La Niña, negative PDO, and warm North Pacific SSTs.
• Frequent storm systems are expected to bring consistent powder days.

Northern Rockies (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming) Snowfall Outlook:

• Anticipate a robust snow season with colder temperatures and abundant precipitation.
• Ideal conditions for deep snowpack and prolonged ski seasons.
• Frequent, small dumps should characterize the season for these regions

Central Rockies (Utah, Colorado) Snowfall Outlook:

• Near-average snowfall is expected, with potential for significant storms when the jet stream dips south.
• Consistent, smaller dumps for areas further north in this region
• Variable conditions, even a few miles could make a big difference, but opportunities for excellent skiing should arise for resorts in this region throughout the season

Sierra Nevada (California):

• Potential for below-average snowfall, as the storm track may remain north.
• Occasional strong storms could still deliver substantial snow, so remain optimistic.
• Strong but infrequent systems if there are short-lived periods of Pacific jet amplification are the only way CA can stay near average
  

Southwest US (Arizona, New Mexico):

• Likely to experience drier and warmer conditions, resulting in limited snowfall.
• Plan for alternative activities, but keep an eye out for rare snow events if the Pacific jet gets fired up (~1.5 week forecast lead time)

Eastern United States:

• Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected overall.
• Potential for brief but intense cold spells
• Snowfall will be less frequent, but major events could still occur.

Powderchasers makes the disclaimer that these predictions are based on current models, and that actual results most likely will vary. With that said, their predictions roughly align with NOAA's La Niña models, meteorologist Chris Tomer's Winter '24/'25 outlook, and other weather experts' forecasts.

La Niña is coming, and while the forecast might not look favorable at the moment for your region, keep your head up. It's going to snow. It's going to be cold. You're going to go skiing. Relax.

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