Good Thursday morning skiers and riders. We are currently looking at wet conditions across New England. Temperatures are hovering in the upper 30s, winds are between 15-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and a wintry mix of snow and sleet is falling in the higher elevations. Here is a current look at Wildcat and the radar:

This storm is producing different precipitation types around New England. We give details on what to expect in the following paragraph and a simple bulleted list below that.

This wintry mix in the higher elevations of the Whites and ME will continue throughout the morning, and into the afternoon. As warmer air moves into the storm, precipitation will slowly change over to mostly sleet and rain. VT resorts will experience the opposite. The Greens are looking at mostly rain and snow this morning. As cooler air moves in from the northwest, precipitation will slowly change over to mostly snow by the early afternoon. All precipitation should end by late Thursday evening. 

Greens: Mostly rain and snow becoming mostly snow. Snow accumulations between 2-4”

Whites and ME Resorts: Snow and sleet becoming mostly rain and sleet. Snow accumulations between 4-6”

Not going to be the best day on the slopes. Snowpacks will be slushy due to the warm temperatures and mixed precipitation falling on them. Winds will also be a major factor this Thursday. In the morning, winds will be a consistent 15-30 mph, with some gusts potentially getting above 50 mph. Expect wind delays, and the potential for some mountains to shut down lift operations entirely. Winds will decrease to 10-25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph heading into the afternoon hours. Overall, it’ll be a wet and windy day on the slopes.

Temperatures cool down for Friday. As the system departs the region, winds will turn northwesterly. This will funnel in colder air from the north and drop temperatures into the lower teens to start Friday morning. With these northwest winds and moist atmospheric conditions, there is a good chance for upsloping snow showers to occur in the Greens, Whites, and ME resorts. These snow showers won’t produce a ton of new snowfall, but a modest Trace-2” can be expected. We’ll take it after all the mixed precipitation that will fall this Thursday. If you’re wondering which day to ski in the next 48-hours, Friday is the better choice. 

Northerly winds will persist over New England this weekend. This will deliver cool dry air into the region, and in turn, support clear conditions over the mountains. Highs for Saturday and Sunday will be in the lower 20s. A definite cool down after all the 40+ degree highs the region has enjoyed this week. It’ll be a return to winter on the slopes. With machine grooming and artificial snow-making, conditions will return to normal in the higher elevations. 

We’re still in the midst of vacation week for multiple states in New England. Fortunately, this week has been quieter than expected on the slopes. It’ll still be busy this weekend, but not the same volume we’ve experienced the past few weekends. Still, get there as early as you can!

There are some systems we’re tracking for next week. Monday and Tuesday have the potential for some mixed precipitation to hit the region again. Models are suggesting this precipitation will not be organized. Looking mostly like mixed precipitation showers. We’ll update you on that as we move closer to those storms.

That’s all for today! Thank you as always for reading. Make sure to check out our announcement below. Have a great day, everyone!

Christopher Hohman, Plymouth State University Graduate

OpenSnow Audience Survey

Please tell us (anonymously) how much you ski or ride, what you like about OpenSnow, and what we can do better. Your feedback will point us in the right direction when we think about future features. Take the 5-minute survey.