North American Resorts Already Past 14-15 Snow Totals
North American Resorts Already Past 14-15 Snow Totals
Published : 22-Jan-2016 02:05
Glen Plake at Mammoth earlier this week.
Several resorts on the West Coast of North America have already passed the total snowfall they received in the whole of last season, with the 15-16 ski season not yet half way through.
Mammoth Mountain in California has received 188 inches (around 4.7m) of snow so far this season, over taking their 14-15 season total of 176 inches (4.4m) earlier this week.
Mt Baker to the north in Washington state, which holds the (unofficial) record for the most average annual snowfall (16.3m) and the biggest ever single season snowfall recorded (29m in winter 98-99) is also looking good with the world's deepest reported base at present – the only one to reach 4m so far. Although it's apparently raining there today.
The snow is being credited to a 'Godzilla El Niño' weather system from the pacific, although the same system is being blamed by ski resorts in central and Eastern north America. As well as in Japan across the ocean, for too warm conditions.
By contrast last winter was one of the worst on record in Western North America and even Mt Baker was forced to close in March due to lack of snow.
This winter, after four lacklustre ones, is looking like it will add up to an 'epic' in the region with a return to the scenes in summer 2011 when nearly a dozen ski areas in the region had enough snow left on US independence day, July 4th, to open for snowsports.
Further north still the ski area of Alyeska in Alaska is reporting the most snow of any ski area in the world this year and looks set to pass the 400 inches/10m of snowfall-this-season stat by the ends of the weekend, if not the end of today. It received another 8 inches/20cm of snow yesterday and is only 8 inches/20cm off the total.
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