The Skiing Weatherman Conditions Report: December 19-22

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Herb Stevens, GoLocalWorcester's Skiing Weatherman

This season is off to a fast start. The snowmakers had several shots of arctic air with which to work in November, and Thanksgiving trail counts were the best they have been in several years. Cold air has dominated thus far this month, as well, and the onslaught of crystal cranking has continued, with the guns firing 24/7 on a good number of days.

Meaningful natural snow has fallen on several occasions, with last weekend’s storm the biggest thus far this season. While the foot or more of snow that fell up north was certainly welcomed, it wasn’t the ideal consistency for this time of year. Don’t get me wrong… the snow was dry, and great for skiing or riding, but when groomed out, it didn’t add a whole lot to base depths.

At this time of year, a sloppy storm with temperatures right around 32 is actually more desirable, because the high moisture-content snow turns into a more durable base once traffic and grooming compress it. The change from snow to sleet and rain that took place in the lower elevations in southern New England wasn’t the worst thing that could happen…the “stuff” that was left behind was excellent for base building. We’re not fussy, though…we’ll take fresh snow any time we can get it, regardless of whether it is the consistency of baby powder or pudding!

I’d love to be able to tell you that the cold and occasionally snowy pattern that the resorts have enjoyed this month will continue right into January. In general, I believe that will be the case, but we are going to have to deal with a bit of a weather “hiccup” this weekend. That is, it is going to turn milder than it has been of late and there is going to be a mixture of precipitation types in the mountains of northern New England all the way up to the Canadian border.

The source of the precipitation will be small scale waves of low pressure riding up along a stalled out cold front that will set up south of the resorts later this week. While the mountains will be north of the front and technically in the cold air, the cold will not be deep enough to support all snow…with relatively shallow cold air hugging the lower levels and above freezing air aloft, we are likely looking at some icing more than anything else.

In southern New England, temperatures will rise above freezing, leading to some plain rain, but the machine made bases will handle the wet weather with ease. Low sun angles and short hours of daylight will also serve to preserve the snow as a quick shot of mild weather moves up the coast and into New England.

The good news is that even as temperatures go above normal for a couple of days and surface conditions turn more moist, a change back to a cold pattern will be lurking. In fact, by sometime Monday, the front will press far enough to the south to allow deeper cold air to flow into the mountains. At that point, the resorts will be back in business in terms of making snow and the mountain crews will get busy with those sophisticated groomers to work their magic and rehabilitate the surfaces.

Early next week, the snow will be firmer than it has been lately, but by the time Christmas Day rolls around, surfaces will be packed powder once again. Looking further down the road, it looks to me as though colder than normal weather will dominate in the north country through the end of the month, which will allow the snowmakers to continue to boost those trail counts, and the pattern also looks favorable for more in the way of natural snow.

Saturday will mark the winter solstice… the shortest day of the year in terms of available sunlight. Wachusett Mountain will embrace the occasion with a “Shortest Day of the Year Celebration”. If you ski or ride in shorts that day, you can enter a drawing for a couple of free lift tickets. There’s a special on short ribs in the Black Diamond restaurant. Try a short demo special…a half day demo rental at half price. And at 1 pm, there will be a short subject ski adventure movie shown in the main lodge. Get the picture?

As you look ahead to the holiday week, the big news out of Yawgoo Valley is that they plan to have their tubing center fully operational… make your plans for a couple of hours of fun sliding. Remember, you don’t have to walk up the hill!

Watch the Skiing Weatherman

Be sure to check out The Skiing Weatherman video report on Thursdays for the details on trails and lifts for resorts all across New England.

Every Thursday, Skiing Weatherman will post a video report breaking down the conditions for the upcoming weekend. Filmed out on the snow, these videos will be very similar to what he did on television for 25 years, with a great assist from his cameraman, David Huot, a Maine native who has worked with Herb for eighteen years.

The Skiing Weatherman Conditions Report: December 19-22

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