2020-21 Ski Season Summary

The following major weather patterns affected the 2020-21 ski season.
October: Isolated storms started to accumulate a base in the Banff areas in the north and Wolf Creek in the south.
Early November: A moderate storm tracked from Tahoe through Utah into the Southwest.
Mid-November: Two storms hit the Northwest, the first tracking mostly into the Northern Rockies and the second mostly into Canada.
Late November, early December: For about two weeks this was the first of several widespread dry spells that plagued the 2020-21 season.
Mid to Late December: Modest snowfalls were generally not adequate to fully cover areas that did not have a good base before the dry spell, with the exception of snowy microclimates like Targhee and Utah's Cottonwood Canyons.
First half of January: The Northwest got a big dump during the first week but surfaces were degraded by rain the second week. Regions farther south endured another dry spell so many areas remained in partial operation with mediocre conditions. The best conditions were in western Canada, where the border remained closed to foreigners.
Second half of January: The season improved first with a storm through Utah and the Southwest. Then an atmospheric river hit California with 5-8 feet of snow.
First half of February: Continuous storms tracked through the Northwest to the Tetons and northern Utah and Colorado with scattered snow in adjacent regions. A secondary track went into Canada, but areas near the border on both sides remained below average.
Second half of February: Northwest storms continued but on narrower tracks, primarily from Oregon to Utah during the third week, and from Washington to the Northern Rockies during the fourth week.
First half of March: Scattered storms moved through California and Utah, with the last one intensifying in Colorado and the Southwest. Areas farther north were severely dry with widespread spring sonditions.
Second half of March: All regions had decent snowfalls but only Colorado was above average.
Early April: This was the final severe dry spell of 2020-21 with only the Northwest and western Canada seeing as much as a foot of snow.
Mid-April to early May: There were multiple small storms in northern Utah and Colorado but other regions were mostly dry.

2020-21 was distinctly below average, ovarall 84% of normal, though conditions were consistently good from late January through February. Weekend lift lines at many areas were very long during this period due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions. However there were almost no ski area closures in the US and just a few in Canada with the exception of Ontario. 2020-21 was a moderate La Nina season, and snowfall was more favorable in northern regions. However those regions still ended up only about average due to a very dry spring. See 2020-21 Ski Season Analysis.

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