SnoCast: Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Skiing
On Sunday, February 2, our furry prognosticating friend, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged from his hole and saw his shadow, which according to the lore, means there will be six more weeks of winter, as opposed to an early spring. Here at SnoCountry, that's music to our ears. There's more great skiing and riding available all around the country as winter carries on.
January was cold and snowy for many parts of the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. Across the West, mid-month turned things around with the Rockies, Northwest, and Southwest getting in on the snow action. In fact, this season has featured snow in every U.S. state, even to northern Florida in an unusually cold snap.
Image: Observed snow through February 2, 2025 for the 2025 winter season. Image from NOAA NOHRSC.
Looking ahead to February, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center outlook indicates the Southeast, Northeast, as well as the Central and Southern Rockies will be overall milder than average, while the Pacific Northwest and Midwest hang on to winter's chill. Conditions will also tend to be more active ("wetter") than average across much of the Northern U.S., while the South runs drier than normal.
Images: NOAA's Climate Prediction Center February temperature and precipitation outlook. For temperature, red shades indicate likely warmer than average, while blue is likely colder than average. For precipitation, green indicates wetter than average, and brown shades indicate drier than average. Credit: NOAA CPC.
Regional Breakdown
Northwest
Look to the Northwest for an epic February. Weather models indicate the pattern will be active and colder than average, allowing ample chances for great fresh snow throughout the month. Conditions will be coldest, and therefore, best for snowstorms the first 2 weeks of February, then slowly trend closer to average by late month. For great February skiing and riding, head to Crystal, 49 Degrees North, Summit at Snoqualmie, Timberline, Schweitzer, Brundage and others nearby.
See the latest Northwest snow reports.
Rockies
The Rockies are likely to find variable conditions through February, with the central and northern Rockies (northern Colorado, Wyoming, Montana) seeing a better chance at snow events, while the southern Rockies (southern Colorado, Utah, New Mexico) will see more mild conditions and lighter than average snowfall overall through the month. Look to Whitefish, Bridger Bowl, Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole, Steamboat, Vail, Copper, and Aspen areas for great snow.
See the latest Rockies snow reports.
Southwest
It's been a dry and mild start to the winter thus far across the Southwest, and this trend will continue into February for most of the Southwest, with the exception of northern California where colder and wetter conditions will be more likely than areas farther south. Atmospheric river events may deliver period bouts of heavier snow across northern California in February, including the current event (Feb 3-4) set to deliver feet of snow to the northern Sierras. Look to the ski areas farther to the north in February for fresh tracks, including Mt. Shasta, Mammoth, Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly and others nearby for February turns.
See the latest Southwest snow reports.
Northeast
Following a colder than average January, the Northeast turns milder in February. With that, along with expected above normal precipitation amounts, expect variable conditions and occasional mixed-precip storms that may keep you in and out of the lodge to dry out. This setup favors areas farther north in New England and northern New York, while areas to the south deal with more mixed precipitation events. Taller peaks will also stand a better chance at remaining snowy through these mixed storms, including Whiteface, Jay Peak, Wildcat, Bretton Woods, Cannon, Sunday River, Saddleback and others nearby.
See the latest Northeast snow reports.
Midwest
The Midwest becomes a wildcard in February, on the edge of cold air to the northwest and milder air farther east. Look to elevation and areas expected to stay in the colder than average outlook in Wisconsin and Minnesota, including Ski Brule, Boyne Highlands, Whitecap, Granite Peak, Lutsen, and others with snowmaking ability.
See the latest Midwest snow reports.
Mid-Atlantic/Southeast
January featured very chilly conditions and shots of snow across the Southeast, even as far south as northern Florida! February turns milder and wetter across the Southern Appalachians, so monitor near-term forecasts for windows of opportunity to get in turns. Look to those with elevation and snowmaking ability, including Sugar Mountain, Ober, Beech Mountain, Cataloochee, Timberline, Bryce and others nearby for February turns.
See the latest Southeast snow reports.
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In these monthly SnoCast outlooks, it's important to remember that we are looking at overarching patterns that span several days or a week at a time. The day to day variability is called weather, and will result in deviation from the overarching trend. Keep up with the forecast daily to learn when storms will develop.
In addition to articles right here on SnoCountry.com, our SnoCast meteorologists Kerrin Jeromin and Steve Glazier share storm-specific information on social media throughout the winter season.
