How Will El Nino Affect Your Winter Skiing Plans?

Earlier this year, the NOAA offered up a prediction for the colder months to come: El Nino is on the way. (For the record, that’s defined as “a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator.”) While the strength of this particular El Nino remains to be seen, it isn’t too soon to predict its impact on winter weather — or some activities that depend on particular weather conditions.

In other words, what are the implications of El Nino for skiing around the U.S.? The short answer is that it depends on where you’re planning to ski; some regions will fare better than others from this weather system. That’s one of the biggest takeaways from a new article by Josh Laskin at The Points Guy. Laskin spoke with meteorologist Brad Field, who offered some predictions for what to expect.

Field told Laskin that his prediction was for “above normal” snowfall in New England — but noted that a particularly strong El Nino could result in a rainier season in the region. Heading further west, Laskin writes that California could experience another particularly snowy winter, while the Pacific Northwest’s precipitation future is more nebulous.

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The whole article is worth a read. It does suggest that California and other skiing hotspots in the western U.S. could fare well in the event of a strong El Nino — something that seems increasingly likely for the season to come.