Due to a shortage of snow that is linked to unseasonably warm weather, ski resorts around the northeast of the United States have been forced to close during a time of year when it is reportedly “peak season.”
After some of the coldest days of this winter occurred around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the Northeast prepared for several record-high temperatures near 60F to begin the new year.
Warm temperatures have so far been associated with ill luck in Vermont. The Green Mountains, which are a portion of the Appalachians, have been practically hard for skiers to enjoy due to sparse snowfall within the state’s limits.
Spencer Spellman, senior editor for On The Snow, stated to Fox Weather that “recently, it’s simply not been cold enough for many ski resorts to efficiently generate snow.”
The mountains haven’t been able to regain their real winter colors recently due to heavy rains and a combination of warmth and humidity.
Recent abnormally warm weather and a lack of snow have caused ski resorts in Vermont and other parts of the northeast to close. In the entire state, only Jay Peak has more than two inches of snow.
High temperatures have left little snowbanks in some Vermont resorts, as residents are shocked by this winter’s unusually warm temperatures.
After the new year, Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vermont, had to close for a few days owing to a lack of snow.
There were additional significant ski resorts that had to temporarily close in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Mad River Glen and Camden Snow Bowl are two of them, but Spellman noted that they should reopen as soon as the weather permits.
Mad River Glen said on Sunday that it had to cease operations after an amazing stretch of skiing over the holiday week. Vermont’s Waitsfield is home to the resort.
Today’s high is forecast to be in the mid-20s, but the return of bright, blue skies and sunshine will be a pleasant change from the current weather pattern. We’re awakening once more to a little coating of fresh snow on the ground in the Base Area, and although though it is still not nearly enough to measure, we are gradually making improvements to our circumstances.
Other ski areas in New England, including those in Maine and Massachusetts, are also feeling the effects of the recent climatic change.
It “feels, sounds, and looks more like Spring than Winter,” a man in Vermont’s Mad River Valley captioned a photo of melting snow on a walking trail.
Due to a shortage of snow, Mad River Glen, a well-known ski resort in central Vermont, has had to close on some days.
Burlington, the state capital of Vermont, had meteorological conditions that reached temperatures 25 degrees higher than the typical prediction around the new year. Burlington is often covered in snow at this time of year.
By Sunday, Burlington will have high temperatures of 34F, which is 10-15 degrees warmer than January 2017’s circumstances.
In addition to the chilly temperatures, New England ski resorts are not getting enough snow to stay open through the winter.
While their season averages are closer to 200, Killington and Stowe, two well-known ski resorts, have only received approximately 50 inches of snow, according to Spellman. Therefore, they will have a disadvantage in January.
Due to its high levels of snowfall each winter, Vermont is often one of the most popular states in the US for skiing. Pictured: A Vermont ski resort in the beginning of 2022
After the first weekend of the new year, temperatures are scheduled to return to normal. Some people are hoping that this is the first of many indications that winter has just arrived.
According to Bryan Rivard, Director of Communications at Ski Vermont, “Ski slopes in Vermont are used to working with inconsistent weather and will be ready to develop open terrain fast as soon as temperatures decrease.”
One advantage of possessing some of the world’s most powerful snowmaking systems is that Vermont can take advantage of any cold weather windows to strengthen their bases and resurface terrain.
According to Rivard, a number of well-known ski resorts in Vermont will reopen this weekend, including Okemo, Sugarbush, and Bromley, while others will do so the next weekend.
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