If you’ve been paying attention to the snow totals around the country, there’s a good chance you’ve seen pictures or videos from Steamboat Ski Resort. After receiving 8 more inches on New Years’ Eve, the resort has recorded a 108″ December total and 190″ season total, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today. At this rate, the mountain is on track to receive its first over 400″ season since 2010.
This year marks the snowiest December for Steamboat since 2007 and the deepest pre-January season since 1996. Since 1986, only seven seasons have reached the 400″ mark.
“We’re in a really good pattern. However the atmosphere decided to represent this La Nina, it’s been great for us. … The Pacific is very active and we’re doing really well out of it.” – Local meteorologist Mike Weissbluth (check out his website, SnowAlarm, for Steamboat Springs specific weather forecasts)
While last season La Niña pattern left Steamboat under the average yearly snowfall, the 2022/23 winter marks a triple-dip La Niña, or the third pattern of its kind in a row. This is just the fourth triple-dip La Niña to occur since the 1950s, leaving its’ effects and data more or less unknown.
“There’s just not a lot of statistics to have any confidence on what would happen, but sometimes within the northern mountains of Colorado it trends wetter. In this case, you guys have done well and have started off on a good foot. I hope that continues.” – National Weather Service meteorologist Erin Walter
In 1996, Steamboat saw 212.5″ of snow before January, and its deepest season since was 2007/08, when the mountain received a 489″ snow total. While the current totals are promising, the weather would have to continue at least through January and February.
Image Credit: Steamboat Resort via Facebook