2015-16 Ski Season Summary

The following major weather patterns affected the 2015-16 ski season.
Most of November: Snowfall was heaviest in western Canada. Other regions had smaller storms, which included some rain at lower elevations along the West Coast.
End of November to mid-December: The Northwest had several intense storms totalling 6-8 feet, with lesser amountns spreading south into California. These storms split as they moved inland with the northern track into Idaho and Canada and the southern track moving SE into Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado. Utah and much of Wyoming and Montana missed most of these storms.
Second half of December: The entire West was hammered with snow during the week before Christmas, with smaller storms ensuing during the holiday period.
First half of January: The first week of January was the only case all season of a storm on the touted El Nino track through SoCal, Arizona and New Mexico. The Sierra and Utah got the most snow, but all regions got at least 1.5 feet.
Mid-January to beginning of February: Snowfall was above average in most regions with the most in the Tetons and northern Utah and Colorado. The Northwest had some rain but also lots of snow to maintain good conditions most of the time.
The rest of February: The final January storm hit Colorado in early February, but after that most of the western US had less than half normal snowfall the rest of the month. Only Washington State and western Canada were closer to average. February was also unusually warm so spring conditions developed at many areas.
First half of March: Major storms totalling 5-9 feet hit the west coast, with about 1/3 of that reaching most inland regions. The far Southwest remined bone dry as in most of February.
The rest of March: Northern Utah and Colorado had above average snowfall while other western regions were below average with spring conditions emerging at most areas. The 7 week Southwest drought lasted until 1-2 feet fell at the very end of March.
First half of April: Weather was abnormally warm and dry, with just a few modest snowfalls in Colorado. All open areas had nearly all spring conditions.
Rest of April/May: Few areas were open, but California, Utah and especially Colorado had above average snow and cooler than normal temperatures. Record heat and snowmelt continued in the Northwest, Northern Rockies and western Canada.

2015-16 was the third strongest El Nino on record. It did bring several stretches of high temperatures but the overall snowfall record did not display the pattern of past strong El Nino seasons. The regions that were supposed to be below average (Northwest, northern Rockies of both US and Canada) had the most snow relative to average in North America. And it would have been far above average if not for a super warm and dry April, after most of these areas had closed due to remote location and lack of customers. Which ski area had the MOST snow relative to average in 2015-16? That would be Big White at 133%, and the rest of western Canada's Okanagan region was not far behind. Meanwhile Southern California and Arizona, historically most favored by El Nino, came in at 59% and 78%. For more detail on snow incidence by month and region, see 2015-16 Ski Season Analysis. Also see El Nino 2015-16: A Non-Event for North American Skiing?

2015-16  SKI  SEASON  SNOWFALL  SUMMARY    
               
RECORD  HIGH  (10 Years Minimum)   6+ Powder RECORD  HIGH  (10 Years Minimum)     6+ Powder
 None              
               
HIGH       HIGH      
 Alyeska, Alaska  2,750 826 37%    Red Mt. 2, B. C.   6,650 263 Dec.-Mar 15%
 Big White, B. C.  6,200 368 17%          
 Keystone, Colo.   11,641 295 11%          
 Sun Peaks, B. C.  6,100 244 10%          
               
ABOVE  AVERAGE       ABOVE  AVERAGE      
 Mt. Rainier Paradise, Wash. 5,420 699 34%    Telluride, Colo.   11,170 221 Dec.-Mar 12%
 Snoqualmie Pass, Wash.   3,000 402 22%    Revelstoke, B.C.  6,429 260 Dec.-Mar 14%
 Crater Lake (Mt. Bailey), Ore.   6,800 452 22%    Sierra at Tahoe, Calif.  7,746 327 Dec.-Mar 18%
 Mammoth Mtn, Calif.   9,600 or 8,900 358 15%          
 Lake Louise, Alb.  6,700 169 5%          
 Mt. Bachelor, Ore.   6,350  408 20%          
 Berthoud Pass, Colo.   11,315  323 11%          
 Mary Jane at Winter Park, Colo.   10,800      360 13%          
 Park City 2, Utah   9,300  301 13%          
 Whistler Roundhouse, B. C.   6,000       486 23%          
 Steamboat, Colo.   9,200    408 17%          
 Loveland, Colo.   11,200   350 12%          
 Heavenly Valley, Calif.   8,400    289 12%          
 Brundage, Idaho   6,000 302 14%          
 Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore.   5,400 479 24%          
 Red Mt. Pass, Colo.   11,090 349 14%          
 Breckenridge 2, Colo.   12,000 373 14%          
 Sun Valley, Idaho   8,800  213 10%          
 Squaw Valley, Calif.   8,000      491 23%          
 Wolf Creek, Colo.   10,642 423 15%          
 Northstar, Calif.   7,800 347 17%          
 Heavenly Valley, Calif.   10,000    390 16%          
 Aspen Highlands, Colo.   11,100  254 10%          
 Beaver Creek, Colo.   11,200 341 13%          
 Crystal Mtn 2, Wash.   6,100 520 25%          
 Whitewater, B. C.  5,500 411 17%          
               
BELOW  AVERAGE       BELOW  AVERAGE      
 Central Sierra Snow Lab - Boreal, Cal. 7,200  377 17%    Purgatory, Colo.   10,000  185 Dec.-Mar 10%
 Mt. Washington, N. H.  6,262 210 8%          
 Jackson Hole, Wyo.   8,250   317 15%          
 Mt. Fidelity (Selkirks), B. C.  6,150 424 16%          
 Alpine Meadows, Calif.   7,000   357 17%          
 Sunshine Village, Alb.  7,028 254 9%          
 Taos, N. Mex.   11,200 254 7%          
 Snowbird, Utah   10,000   393 15%          
 Kirkwood (Carson Pass), Calif.  8,526 458 20%          
 Gothic, Colo. 9,400   288 11%          
 Southern California Composite   7,000 - 8,000   72 3%          
 Grand Targhee, Wyo.   8,200 401 18%          
 Alta, Utah   9.600 439 18%          
 Alyeska, Alaska   1,400   415 20%          
 Big Sky, Mont.   8,920  274 11%          
 Snowshoe, W. V. 4,848 133 7%          
 Arapahoe Basin, Colo.   10,820 298 9%          
 Jupiter Bowl, Utah   10,000 350 15%          
 Fernie, B. C.  5,400    316 15%          
 Squaw Valley, Calif.   6,200      255 11%          
 Mt. Baker, Wash.   4,300 622 29%          
 Arizona Snowbowl 2, Ariz.   10,800 186 7%          
 Brian Head, Utah   9,770  301 12%          
 Stevens Pass, Wash.   4,061 427 20%          
 Vail, Colo.   11,250    342 13%          
 Snow Basin, Utah   7,700  277 12%          
 Mt. Rose, Nev.   8,600 339 16%          
 Copper Mtn, Colo.   11,000   258 10%          
 Sugar Bowl, Calif.   7,000     423 20%          
 Bridger Bowl, Mont.   7,100     269 11%          
 Le Massif, Que.  2,600 210 10%          
 Monarch, Colo.    278 12%          
 Big Mountain, Mont.   6,700     317 15%          
 Brighton/Solitude, Utah   9,400 395 17%          
 Snowmass, Colo.  11,000 279 11%          
 Aspen Mtn, Colo.   11,190 250 10%          
 Castle Mt., Alb.  5,700 263 14%          
 Schweitzer, Idaho   4,700   277 14%          
               
LOW       LOW      
 Sugarloaf, Maine 3,695 95 4%          
 Cannon Mt., N. H. 1,800 102 5%          
 Whiteface (Lake Placid), N. Y.  3,660 109 5%          
 Crested Butte, Colo.   10,150   162 7%          
               
RECORD  LOW (10 Years Minimum)       RECORD  LOW (10 Years Minimum)      
 Killington, Vt.  4,142 82 3%          
 Mt. Mansfield Stake, Vt.  3,950 96 4%          
 Jay Peak, Vt.  3,000 164 8%          
 Sugarbush, Vt.   3,000 156 7%          
 Stratton, Vt.   3,875 59 3%          
 Okemo, Vt.   3,300 54 3%          
 Smuggler's Notch, Vt.   1,600 160 6%          
 Stowe, Vt.  3,041 156 7%