We are experiencing a warm and dry trend in the coming days through the first week of November, with highs nudging 60 degrees in the heat of the day (mid-afternoon), while low temperatures will remain cold enough for snow-making on Bald Mountain. A cooling trend with an increasing chance of precipitation is expected to move into Central Idaho by mid-November.

The weather pattern is expected to change up after the first full week of November, and the chance of precipitation increases as the month progresses. Bring it! 

Open Snow weather experts and the NOAA Northwest Forecast Center are in agreement that a La Nina weather pattern will bring a wetter-than-normal winter to the Pacific Northwest and Idaho in particular. That's great news for the 2020-21 ski season. Water temperatures at the equator are cooler-than-normal in the Pacific Ocean, and that's a key indicator for a La Nina winter. 

See this excellent analysis about a La Nina winter by Nathan Lanssen, a graduate student at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University on OpenSnow.com.

Looking back at La Nina winters over the last 20-plus years, Idaho typically sees a 100-110 percent chance of normal of precipitation in those years. That's good news for skiers and riders! 

Looking ahead at NOAA forecasts for the next 90 days, we see very positive indicators for a wet winter. 

Equal chances or above-normal chances of precipitation are encouraging. A "Normal" winter in Idaho typically means big and deep snowpack. Let's hope for the best! 

Opening day set for Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26 at Sun Valley. 

The good news is that Sun Valley is expecting to operate this winter with specific guidelines in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The bad news is that Idaho's COVID-19 cases are increasing overall, and Idaho Gov. Brad Little moved the state from Stage 4 to Stage 3 this week because cases are increasing and medical facilities are getting stretched thin. Hopefully, we can reverse the trend as we move into winter.  

COVID-conditions in Blaine County will shape how the season plays out in the Ketchum-Sun Valley area. 

See this Idaho Mountain Express report on early-snowmaking starting a month before opening day. 

The big news on Bald Mountain is a 380-acre expansion project on the south side of the mountain in the general vicinity of the Cold Springs area. This is the biggest expansion on the mountain in nearly 20 years. A new high-speed quad chair will replace the old Cold Springs fixed-grip chair, with a different base location. It will open up big wide open bowl skiing and some excellent tree-skiing with decent spacing between the trees. Access to the new expansion area will be from the top of Seattle Ridge. See video and article on Sun Valley.com.