The following major weather patterns affected the 2022-23 ski season.
Late October to early November: Late October snowfall was primarily in northern regions at higher elevation. Early November storms
were stronger in the Sierra, Tetons and Utah, enough to open much ski terrain.
Mid-November was overall mostly dry for 2+ weeks.
Late November to mid December: This period followed the pattern of a month earlier, first snowing most throughout the northern regions,
then hitting California and Utah the hardest. The third week of December was a short calm period.
Late December to mid January: The pattern of intense storms in California and Utah resumed. This time they pushed farther into the Southwest.
By mid-January Utah was well ahead of its prior record snowfall pace.
Second half of January: The coastal regions were calmer but storms were strong in the Rockies from the Tetons through New Mexico.
January was much drier than normal in western Canada.
First half of February: Snowfall was average in the Pacific Northwest but below average elsewhere.
Third week of February: The NW storm track broadened and strengthened into the Northern Rockies and western Canada.
Last week of February: Another round of intense storms hit California and Utah. This track pushed farther south with unusually high
snowfall in Southern California, Arizona and southern Colorado.
First half of March: First half of March snowfall was strong in a broad area from Oregon and California inland to Wyoming, Utah, Arizona
and western Colorado.
Second half of March: The recurring seasonal pattern of intense storms contrating upon California, Utah and the Southwest continued. By the
end of the month all Utah and some California areas had set season snowfall records.
First week of April: The last major storms of the season hit Oregon and Utah hardest.
The rest of spring was much drier than usual in most regions. Continental Divide regions in Colorado and Alberta were closest to normal.
2022-23 was the first above average season since the pandemic, so it's not surprising that US skier visits exceeded last year's prior record of 60.7 million by 4 million. In retrospect the recent growth in skier visits is due mainly to widespread multiarea season passes plus population growth in the Rocky Mountain states. 2022-23 was the third consecutive moderate La Nina season, but snowfall did not conform to expectations. California and Utah have had big La Nina seasons before, notably in 2010-11, but 2022-23 was the driest ever La Nina in western Canada. See 2022-23 Ski Season Analysis.
| 2022-23 SKI SEASON SNOWFALL SUMMARY | ||||||
| RECORD HIGH (10 Years Minimum) | 6+ Powder | RECORD HIGH (10 Years Minimum) | ||||
| Central Sierra Snow Lab - Boreal, Cal. 7,200 | 754 | 37% | ||||
| Bear Valley, Calif. 7,750 | 674 | 35% | ||||
| Mammoth Mtn, Calif. 9,600 or 8,900 | 714 | 36% | ||||
| Park City 2, Utah 9,300 | 518 | 23% | ||||
| Alta, Utah 9,600 | 903 | 39% | ||||
| Jupiter Bowl, Utah 10,000 | 583 | 26% | ||||
| Snowbird Mid-Gad, Utah 9,640 | 785 | 32% | ||||
| Snow Basin, Utah 7,700 | 617 | 26% | ||||
| Sugar Bowl, Calif. 7,000 | 797 | 40% | ||||
| Solitude 2, Utah 9,400 | 809 | 36% | ||||
| Brighton, Utah 9,502 | 863 | 38% | ||||
| June Mtn, Calif. 8,700 | 537 | 28% | ||||
| HIGH | HIGH | |||||
| Crater Lake (Mt. Bailey), Ore. 6,800 | 560 | 26% | ||||
| Southern California Composite 7,000 - 8,000 | 248 | 13% | ||||
| Alta Guard, Utah 8,700 | 664 | 29% | ||||
| Alpine Meadows, Calif. 7,000 | 607 | 31% | ||||
| Kirkwood (Carson Pass), Calif. 8,526 | 725 | 37% | ||||
| Grand Targhee, Wyo. 8,200 | 608 | 25% | ||||
| Snowbird Tram Base, Utah 8,100 | 684 | 28% | ||||
| Steamboat, Colo. 9,200 | 454 | 19% | ||||
| Big White, B. C. 6,200 | 337 | 14% | ||||
| Squaw Valley, Calif. 6,200 | 397 | 20% | ||||
| Arizona Snowbowl 2, Ariz. 10,800 | 399 | 21% | ||||
| Squaw Valley, Calif. 8,000 | 721 | 36% | ||||
| Sierra at Tahoe, Calif. 7,746 | 684 | 34% | ||||
| Mt. Rose, Nev. 8,600 | 563 | 29% | ||||
| Beaver Creek, Colo. 11,200 | 409 | 14% | ||||
| Northstar, Calif. 7,800 | 516 | 26% | ||||
| Heavenly Valley, Calif. 10,000 | 591 | 29% | ||||
| Snowmass, Colo. 11,000 | 385 | 16% | ||||
| Crested Butte, Colo. 10,150 | 331 | 15% | ||||
| ABOVE AVERAGE | ABOVE AVERAGE | |||||
| Sugarloaf, Maine 3,695 | 173 | 9% | Gore, N. Y. 1,500 | 135 | 7% | |
| Jackson Hole, Wyo. 8,250 | 448 | 19% | ||||
| Mt. Bachelor, Ore. 6,350 | 469 | 19% | ||||
| Mary Jane at Winter Park, Colo. 10,800 | 373 | 14% | ||||
| Big Sky, Mont. 8,920 | 329 | 11% | ||||
| Brundage, Idaho 6,000 | 312 | 13% | ||||
| Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. 5,400 | 516 | 22% | ||||
| Brian Head, Utah 9,770 | 371 | 17% | ||||
| Sun Valley, Idaho 8,800 | 248 | 11% | ||||
| Keystone, Colo. 11,641 | 248 | 10% | ||||
| Wolf Creek, Colo. 10,642 | 495 | 24% | ||||
| Waterville Valley, N. H. 3,000 | 163 | 8% | ||||
| Bridger Bowl, Mont. 7,100 | 357 | 14% | ||||
| Aspen Highlands, Colo. 11,100 | 299 | 12% | ||||
| Le Massif, Que. 2,600 | 239 | 11% | ||||
| Monarch, Colo. | 283 | 12% | ||||
| Aspen Mtn, Colo. 11,190 | 254 | 11% | ||||
| Telluride, Colo. 11,170 | 304 | 14% | ||||
| Purgatory, Colo. 10,000 | 337 | 18% | ||||
| BELOW AVERAGE | BELOW AVERAGE | |||||
| Mt. Rainier Paradise, Wash. 5,420 | 618 | 26% | Red Mt. 2, B. C. 6,650 | 159 | 9% | |
| Mt. Washington, N. H. 6,262 | 247 | 10% | ||||
| Killington, Vt. 4,142 | 197 | 10% | ||||
| Snoqualmie Pass, Wash. 3,000 | 374 | 15% | ||||
| Lake Louise, Alb. 6,700 | 167 | 5% | ||||
| Sunshine Village, Alb. 7,028 | 229 | 8% | ||||
| Taos, N. Mex. 11,200 | 245 | 11% | ||||
| Gothic, Colo. 9,400 | 335 | 16% | ||||
| Cannon Mt., N. H. 1,800 | 123 | 6% | ||||
| Whistler Roundhouse, B. C. 6,000 | 371 | 14% | ||||
| Alyeska, Alaska 2,750 | 593 | 23% | ||||
| Loveland, Colo. 11,200 | 283 | 10% | ||||
| Jay Peak, Vt. 3,000 | 290 | 15% | ||||
| Alyeska, Alaska 1,500 | 394 | 16% | ||||
| Arapahoe Basin, Colo. 10,820 | 253 | 9% | ||||
| Fernie, B. C. 5,400 | 294 | 11% | ||||
| Red Mt. Pass, Colo. 11,090 | 289 | 12% | ||||
| Stratton, Vt. 3,875 | 156 | 8% | ||||
| Mt. Baker, Wash. 4,300 | 601 | 25% | ||||
| Smuggler's Notch, Vt. 1,600 | 223 | 12% | ||||
| Stevens Pass, Wash. 4,061 | 355 | 14% | ||||
| Breckenridge 2, Colo. 12,000 | 321 | 11% | ||||
| Vail, Colo. 11,250 | 337 | 14% | ||||
| Copper Mtn, Colo. 11,000 | 262 | 10% | ||||
| Crystal Mtn 2, Wash. 6,100 | 367 | 14% | ||||
| Whiteface (Lake Placid), N. Y. 3,660 | 160 | 8% | ||||
| Castle Mt., Alb. 5,700 | 277 | 9% | ||||
| Schweitzer, Idaho 4,700 | 283 | 11% | ||||
| Crystal Mtn 1, Wash. 4,400 | 321 | 13% | ||||
| LOW | LOW | |||||
| Mt. Fidelity (Selkirks), B. C. 6,150 | 388 | 16% | Whitewater, B. C. 5,500 | 211 | 12% | |
| Berthoud Pass, Colo. 11,315 | 234 | 8% | ||||
| Sugarbush, Vt. 3,000 | 200 | 10% | ||||
| Stowe, Vt. 3,041 | 221 | 11% | ||||
| Sun Peaks, B. C. 6,100 | 159 | 7% | ||||
| Whitefish, Mont. 6,700 | 212 | 9% | ||||
| Kicking Horse, B. C. 6,757 | 183 | 7% | ||||
| Revelstoke, B.C. 6,429 | 300 | 13% | ||||
| RECORD LOW (10 Years Minimum) | RECORD LOW (10 Years Minimum) | |||||
| Snowshoe, W. V. 4,848 | 45 | 2% | ||||
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