A mild and cloudy day at Timberline on Thursday as the next weather system moves in, which will provide some fresh snow for skiers Sunday. (Timberline)
For a winter that has had such a roller-coaster ride in weather, it is no doubt the best ski season in a while.
Anytime the temperature has spiked, eating into natural and man-made snow, the warmth has been extinguished by perfectly timed Arctic fronts.
Resorts have managed to keep a majority of slopes open after every instance of rain and warmth has been followed by cold air perfect for snow making, as well as storms that lay down coatings of fresh paint. The end game? Numerous days of shredding on packed powder.
After temperatures nose-dive Thursday night, new snow will target some ski areas into early Friday and many ski areas Sunday. (See detailed forecast below.)
We saw this volatile weather pattern play out over the past week, too: A bout of mild temperatures and rain showers last weekend made the slopes rather soggy. But by Monday night, a weather system had swooped through the Laurel Highlands and Allegheny Front, pasting the hills with almost a foot of snow in the lucky spots. Seven Springs ended up under a streamer of lake-enhanced snow and picked up 10 inches; Wisp, eight; Canaan Valley, six; Snowshoe, seven; and Blue Knob, two.
Current conditions are a mixed bag, depending on location and elevation, but no local area is in bad shape.
Ski conditions as of Thursday morning. Note that closed terrain in some areas will be opened over the weekend.
The “front range” ski hills from Roundtop down to Wintergreen are reporting mostly machine-groomed and loose, granular snow.
The slopes in the “high country” that were beneficiaries of natural snow early this week are reporting primarily packed powder conditions.
Temperatures are high again early Thursday, but the cloud cover should prevent too much melting. But it looks as though February cold is going to deliver thereafter, if you’re a cold and snow lover.
In the high country of West Virginia and western Maryland, a winter weather advisory takes effect late Thursday into early Friday for several inches of snow.
On Sunday, a storm will bring a solid dose of fresh snow to the high-elevation areas to the west, and a wintry mix in lower elevations to the east (read for more details, below).
Weekend forecast
Conditions will be ideal for snow-making both Friday and Saturday, with highs in the teens and 20s in the high elevation (above 2,500 feet) resorts and in the 20s to near 30 in the lower elevations (below 2,500 feet). Bundle up Friday into early Saturday, with frigid wind chills and low temperatures in the single digits.
Map of ski areas in the D.C. region, their elevations, and their annual average snowfall. (Jordan Tessler)
For Sunday, ski areas in Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania can expect some natural snow, but the snow may mix with or change to rain and/or sleet for a time in the afternoon and evening, especially in Virginia. Generally, two to four inches can be expected in Virginia, but three to six inches, possibly even a bit more, in south-central Pennsylvania (more toward Whitetail, less around Roundtop and Liberty, where mixing is more likely).
At the resorts in West Virginia, western Maryland and western Pennsylvania, mostly snow is expected from this storm. In the Pennsylvania areas, three to six inches are most likely, but six to 12 inches or so are possible from western Maryland into West Virginia.