1998-99 Ski Season Summary

Comprehensive snow statistics are finally available and shown below. Viewed overall, 1998-99 was a season of extremes. 12 areas in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada recorded record highs, while the southwest received less than half normal snow from December 1 to March 31.

The following major weather patterns affected the ski season.
Late October to early November: Utah and the southwest were hit by big dumps (82 inches at Wolf Creek in October!), in retrospect a very misleading start to the season.
Late November to mid-December: The Northwest quickly emerged as the prime ski region during this first series of La Nina storms. Most storms moved northeast from Washington and Oregon into Canada, leaving the entire U.S. Rockies in severe drought. One major storm moved down the Pacific coast in early December and brought snow to the Sierra.
Late December to mid-January: Storms continued in the Northwest, but also hit the northern Rockies hard from Steamboat north at Christmas, and finally into northern and central Colorado in January. California, Utah and the southwest were bone-dry for most of this time.
Late January and February: This was the most intensely stormy period of the season, dumping almost continuously in the Northwest, but snowfall was high as far south as Utah and the Sierra, and below normal only in the southwest.
March: In early March the storms continued strong only in Alaska and Canada, and spring came to most of the West for 2 weeks in mid-March. Fresh snow fell in most of the West during the last week of March.
April: The La Nina trend disappeared, and a more familiar late season snow pattern emerged. Snowfall was very high in California, Utah, Colorado and the southwest (where most areas had already closed), and well below average farther north..
For more detail on snow incidence by month and region, see 1998-99 Ski Season Analysis.

1998-1999 SKI SEASON SNOWFALL SUMMARY
RECORD HIGH (10 Years Minimum) RECORD HIGH (10 Years Minimum)
Mt. Bachelor, Ore. 6,350 573 Fernie Snow Valley, B. C. 5,400 364 Dec.-Mar.
Whistler Roundhouse, B. C. 6,000 644 Schweitzer, Idaho 354 Dec.-Mar.
Alyeska, Alaska 1,400 768 Whitewater, B. C. 5,500 435 Dec.-Mar.
Big White, B. C. 6,200 411
Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. 5,400 640
Mt. Baker, Wash. 4,300 1096
Stevens Pass, Wash. 4,061 763
Crystal Mtn 1, Wash. 4,400 556
Crystal Mtn 2, Wash. 6,100 596
HIGH HIGH
Mt. Rainier Paradise, Wash. 5,420 945 Whiteface (Lake Placid), N. Y. 3,660 165 Dec.-Mar.
Berthoud Pass, Colo. 11,315 385 Telluride, Colo. 11,170 232 Dec.-Mar.
Mt. Fidelity (Selkirks), B. C. 6,150 596 Northstar, Calif. 7,800 379 Dec.-Mar.
Lake Louise, Alb. 6,700 177
Whistler Base, B. C. 2,200 262
Alpine Meadows, Calif. 7,000 515
Sunshine Village, Alb. 7,028 337
Silver Star, B. C. 5,200 276
ABOVE AVERAGE ABOVE AVERAGE
Central Sierra Snow Lab - Boreal, Cal. 7,200 450 Bridger Bowl, Mont. 7,100 232 Dec.-Mar.
Jackson Hole, Wyo. 8,250 390 Whiteface (Lake Placid), N. Y. 3,660 137 Dec.-Mar.
Mammoth Mtn, Calif. 9,600 or 8,900 424 Tod Mt. (Sun Peaks), B. C. 6,100 162 Dec.-Mar.
Kirkwood (Carson Pass), Calif. 8,526 591 Big Mountain, Mont. 6,700 281 Dec.-Mar.
Loveland, Colo. 11,200 384
Snowshoe, W. V. 4,848 156
Big Sky, Mont. 8,920 287
Sugar Bowl, Calif. 7,000 562
Keystone, Colo. 11,641 224
Sun Valley, Idaho 8,800 193
Heavenly Valley, Calif. 8,400 322
BELOW AVERAGE BELOW AVERAGE
Mt. Washington, N. H. 6,262 260 Crested Butte, Colo. 10,150 128 Dec.-Mar.
Sugarloaf, Maine 3,695 171 Aspen Mtn, Colo. 11,190 161 Dec.-Mar.
Alta, Utah 8,650 473 Steamboat, Colo. 9,200 232 Dec.-Mar.
Taos, N. Mex. 11,200 215 Telluride, Colo. 11,170 135 Dec.-Mar.
Southern California Composite 7,000 - 8,000 99 Deer Valley, Utah 8,200 230 Dec.-Mar.
Mary Jane at Winter Park, Colo. 10,800 329 Beaver Creek, Colo. 11,200 193 Dec.-Mar.
Gothic, Colo. 9,400 336 Sunlight, Colo. 143 Dec.-Mar.
Grand Targhee, Wyo. 8,200 437 Waterville Valley, N. H. 3,000 101 Dec.-Mar.
Jay Peak, Vt. 3,000 305 Smuggler's Notch, Vt. 1,600 210 Dec.-Mar.
Arapahoe Basin, Colo. 10,820 318 Snowmass, Colo. 11,000 163 Dec.-Mar.
Squaw Valley, Calif. 6,200 275
Okemo, Vt. 3,300 154
Vail, Colo. 11,250 309
Snow Basin, Utah 7,700 267
Breckenridge, Colo. 11,100 268
Copper Mtn, Colo. 11,000 266
LOW LOW
Killington, Vt. 4,142 185 Monarch, Colo. 124 Dec.-Mar.
Stowe, Vt. 3,950 191
Snowbird, Utah 10,000 367
Stratton, Vt. 3,875 148
Brian Head, Utah 9,770 264
Wolf Creek, Colo. 10,642 250
Purgatory, Colo. 10,000 203
RECORD LOW (10 Years Minimum) RECORD LOW (10 Years Minimum)
Arizona Snowbowl 1, Ariz. 9,500 64
Arizona Snowbowl 2, Ariz. 10,800 129