Hello skiers and snowboarders!
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all.
It's a rare dry one for the Pacific Northwest. Typically, mid to late November is our wettest and stormiest time of the year. This year high pressure is keeping us dry, while blocking storms.
There is snow in the mountains, but generally not enough. Whistler is open as of Thursday (Nov 23). See picture from Nov 22 at Roundhouse. Expect lots of sunshine on the slopes. I have skied there early season, with a lean early season snowpack. They do a great job in opening a lot of the mountain with natural and manmade snow. Go for it - but expect early season thin spots and limitations. Otherwise, many ski areas are considering, but not committing yet - check online.
Weatherwise, I have strong confidence this high pressure will block storms at least until next week. By Tuesday there may be a change with a little snowfall, but most of the action going south into Oregon and California. Not fair! We want our share.
Beyond that, the pattern shows some change and I think December will become active. So, a slow start, but get all your Christmas stuff done early - save some December slots for potential increased snow - it will come - this dryness will pass.
A strong El Nino remains lurking. It's a wildcard for the NW. This could create some inconsistent snow patterns or warmth for the NW. I'll have more about that next week.
Have a good one. Enjoy with family and friends.
His Excellency, the legendary (que the horns): Grand Poobah of Powder,
lawrence schick- meteorologist.
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