Rain Closes New England Ski Slopes Just Before Christmas
Rain Closes New England Ski Slopes Just Before Christmas
Published : 20-Dec-2023 07:22
A major rain storm has led to the temporary closure of most ski areas in New England this week as resorts endeavour to repair damage caused by the torrential rain. Snow cover is reported to have been washed away and some are reporting damage to roads and other infrastructure.
The rain, driven in on strong winds, turned to snow at some areas as the storm progressed but as most only had thin bases of machine made snow.
Ski areas in Quebec, Canada, to the north were also impacted, with many announcing temporary closures.
Sunday River in Maine had been posting the most terrain open in the region until flash floods caused damage there, it announced on Tuesday that it would remain closed on Wednesday, 20 December, while they assess the situation.
In a statement the resort said, "Ski operations will be reopened as quickly as possible and snowmaking will resume once necessary repairs are made. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through this. Updates will be shared through our daily Mountain Report."
Temperatures are now starting to dip in the East and snowmaking machines firing up again.
Many North American ski regions are facing a challenging start to the season with dry weather for most and sometimes temperatures too warm for snowfall or snowmaking, possibly associated with the 'very strong El Nino' weather system this winter from the Pacific, and/or climate change.
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