2012-13 Ski Season Summary

The following major weather patterns affected the ski season.
November: Colorado had record drought but other regions had average snowfall.
late November/early December: Two major storms hit the West Coast. The first was warmer and included some low elevation rain. The second was cooler and tracked strongest in the Northwest and pushed farther into the Rockies than the first.
Middle weeks of December: This was the snowiest part of the season with above average snow in all regions but strongest along the West Coast.
The holiday week: More heavy snow fell in California and Utah with moderate amounts in other regions.
January and early February: There was widespread drought with almost no snow during the first and third weeks of January. Many Colorado areas were still in limited operation after 2 out 3 extremely dry months. After a normal week at the end of January the drought persisted one more week into February in most regions, but with Colorado finally improving.
Second half of February: Snowfall was close to average throughout the West except for California where the drought persisted.
March: Snowfall was strongest in western Canada, Washington State and I-70 Colorado. California had less than half normal snow while other regions were only moderately below average.
April/May: I-70 and Front Range Colorado had a huge spring and made up most of the snow deficit of the early season. Utah was above average and most other regions slightly below with California once again being the driest region.
The extended mid-winter drought produced a distinctly below average season overall. However skiing was generally better than the numbers indicate due to December being the snowiest month in most regions. Many Colorado areas suffered as poor a start as last season, but unlike 2011-12 the late season was excellent. California's season was the mirror image of Colorado's, with snowfall after January 1 being less than 1/3 of normal. Western Canada was the best region in 2012-13 mainly due to avoiding the severe dry spells experienced in most other regions. For more detail on snow incidence by month and region, see 2012-13 Ski Season Analysis.