SnoCast: Strong Sun for Early April Turns

Bluebird days and soft spring conditions for those final turns of the season, including at Mission Ridge in Washington (SkiMissionRidge/Twitter)

It’s sad, but true and time to face the fact there’s only so much ski season left. Whether you’re a die-hard to last chair, a pond-skimmer, or seeking out the best spring turns in a windbreaker, here’s what to expect weather-wise during the first week of April.

Eastern U.S. & Canada

It might be a little late, but we’ll take the fresh snow in the northeast. A spring snowstorm will taper Thursday, leaving behind a healthy 3-6"+ inches of snow in New York’s Adirondacks and Vermont’s Green Mountains. This helps ski areas in New York, including at Whiteface where it looked more like Winter than Spring early Thursday.

As this storm ends Thursday, it leaves behind wind and much below average temperatures in the Eastern U.S. Temperatures will run about 10-20 degrees below average for early April standards. It will be brisk, but at least the chill keeps the remaining snow on the trails.

Sun pokes through for many Saturday and Sunday, making for a decent weekend where chairs are still turning.  Expect mainly dry weather ahead most of next week as temperatures rebound to near average for early April.   

Western U.S. & Canada

Bluebird days are the name of the game in the West, with limited additional snow in the forecast through the weekend.  Recent sunny days have given many skiers the coveted goggle tan so strived for by springtime.

The exception comes later Saturday to Sunday for British Columbia’s Coast Range and Alberta’s Rockies, where a quick 12-20 cm of snow falls. Good news for those Canadian slopes, many of which anticipate staying open through April. Sunshine Village in Alberta plans to ski into May! This same system brings light snow to the interior U.S. Northwest ski areas--Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana--early next week. 

Western weather turns more active toward the middle and end of next week again, with more snow likely for the west coast ranges. This will help some ski areas stay open and replenish snow cover into mid-April.

We’ll check in one more time next week with a SnoCast forecast check. We’ll also recap the season across North America with look at which regions scored best this winter season.

Until then, keep an eye on the snow reports to see who will keep the chairs turning into April.