2019-20 Ski Season Summary

The following major weather patterns affected the 2019-20 ski season.
October: Northern regions had record cold and scattered snow. Utah and Colorado got up to 3 feet.
First half of November: This period was severely dry so most of the October snow melted out. Only Canada well north of the border got any snow.
Late November, early December: Three storms totaling 6-9 feet tracked through the Southwest, California and Utah, though the one over Thanksgiving was very dry so not good for building a base over bare ground. Much lesser amounts fell in Colorado and the Northern Rockies.
Mid-December: Most areas got about 2 feet with somewhat more in Utah and Colorado.
Late December: There were two storm tracks, one well north of the border in Canada and the other in the far Southwest. Most other areas got less than a foot.
January: The Northwest was pounded with 12-15 feet of snow, continuing on with 10+ feet in favored areas of Canada, the Northern Rockies and Utah. Snowfall was average in northern Colorado, below average farther south and far below average in California.
First week of February: A dense atmospheric river of 5+ feet snow tracked from Washington to the Tetons and northern Utah and Colorado. Adjacent regions got no more than half as much snow while California was bone dry.
The rest of of February: Several smaller storms followed the same track as the first week of February, above average along that track and below average in adjacent regions. It was the driest February on record in California, with no area getting more than 4 inches the entire month.
First half of March: Snowfall was close to average in the northern Rockies but about half normal in other regions. Northern regions preserved snow well with cold temperatures. Nearly all areas closed March 14-15 due to COVID-19, with only a handful of areas staying open another week or so.
Second half of March: It dumped 6-10 feet in California and about half that in Utah. Other regions were well below average.
First half of April: It snowed 2-4 feet in California but was much drier than average elsewhere.
Second half of April: It snowed 4-5 feet in northern Colorado but was much drier than average elsewhere.

2019-20 was most consistent in interior western Canada, which was overall 112% of normal with only April being low on snowfall. Other regions ranged from 86% - 99% due to more acute dry spells, notably the early season in the Northwest and mid-season in California. The other highlight of the season was the massive dumps in the northern regions in January and early February. Only California got a high proportion of its season snowfall after the COVID-19 closure. Other regions were much drier and warmer than normal in spring. See 2019-20 Ski Season Analysis.

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