The Winter Weather Outlook for 2024-2025
It is that time of the year to dive into the winter outlook and see how the weather patterns are shaping up at your favorite resort this season!
Welcome to another ski and ride season! Our SnoCast updates will show you how weather patterns are trending in the weeks to come to help you find the best spots for snowy conditions.
This winter (2024-2025) is expected to be driven by a slowly-developing La Niña, which means the central Pacific Ocean sea surface temperatures become cooler-than-average, affecting our weather patterns here in the states. The last time we had a La Niña was two winters ago (2022-2023), however not all La Niña’s are built the same.
Between December and February, cooler-than-average weather is expected across the Pacific Northwest, northern Rockies, and southern Alaska. Milder temperatures are predicted across the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Meanwhile, precipitation is forecast to be above-average in the northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes. Drier-than-average precipitation is anticipated in the southern tier of the country, including the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic.
EAST
The East has equal chances to be colder/snowier or warmer/drier. That means we will likely get mixed precipitation events with rain on occasion, but still the potential for big snow storms. Conditions could be more prime closer to the Great Lakes and farther inland.
WEST
The West appears to be favorable for more snow farther north. During La Niña winters, the storm track shifts farther north, setting up southern Alaska and the Pacific Northwest mainland from Washington state to Montana in a more favorable pattern for frequent storms. The Southwest U.S. may need to rely on snowmaking more with a drier pattern predicted.
MIDWEST
This winter’s predicted La Niña could bode well for parts of the Midwest, especially around the Great Lakes region as cooler and wetter weather conditions are forecast. This may result in days with cold wind chills as weather systems intensify over this area, but also may result in lots of snow.
MID-ATLANTIC
The Mid-Atlantic ski and ride season may be a bit abbreviated due to anticipated drier and milder weather conditions. It will depend on snowmaking capabilities of the ski resorts, but some steady snow opportunities will exist across the southern Appalachians.
These outlooks are for a large timeframe, December to February, and week-to-week changes can be expected. We encourage you to stay with us for additional SnoCast updates as winter unfolds here on SnoCountry.com.
-Meteorologist Steve Glazier
