The 30th Annual Winter Weather Conference was presented by the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society at OMSI Saturday. Local meteorologists gave their forecasts for the next six months - using different modeling and comparing to previous seasons.
It’s more science than art, but generally, the forecasters concurred that:
- We are in a triple La Niña, which should persist at a weak to moderate strength through the winter
- La Niñas generally produce a cooler/wetter weather pattern to the northwest, which is favorable for above normal snowpack
- When the snow will come and how much will fall in the mountains is hard to specify, but generally, it should be a good overall ski season
The entire conference will be available soon on the Oregon AMS website, along with each forecast presentation.
Rebecca Muessle, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, established that we are entering a "triple dip" La Niña and presented the expected pattern of cooler, wetter weather that La Niñas generally bring to the Pacific Northwest.
Kyle Kittmer, Meteorologist and Hydrologist along with his abominable snowman "Bumbles", expects above normal snowfall on Mt. Hood this season – up to 136% of normal! That would mean Meadows would receive nearly 600 inches of seasonal snow.
Both Dittmer and OSU Climate Science Student Tanis Leach mentioned this should be a good season for getting a season pass. If you'd like to take their advice - passes are for sale on our website. Think snow and hopefully, we'll see you on the mountain soon!
Season Passes