Does Climate Change Mean Less Snow For The State Of Maine?

Climate change has already impacted the entire world. As discomforting as it may be, not a single place on Earth will remain untouched by the changes occurring to our planet’s climate. Higher heats, more extreme weather events, less water, etc, etc. In the ski industry, this can mean a whole bunch of things, but what would typically guess that it means a shorter ski season with less snow.

As much as we love skiing in the west, the sport is in no way limited to the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast. New England (and the rest of the East Coast) has plenty of large and popular ski resorts and smaller ski areas. So what does climate change mean for snowfall in New England? In a state like Maine, does a warming climate mean less snow?

Believe it or not, from 1944-2022, there hasn’t been a decline in snowfall in the state of Maine. In the Portland area, the average snowfall between November 1 and April 15 hasn’t been on a decline. In the Bangor area and in the further north reaches of the state (Caribou), a slight increase in the average snowfall between November 1 and April 15 can be observed.

Why is this? I’ll let NEWS CENTER Maine meteorologist Keith Carson explain.

So there you have it. It’s just still too damn cold in the state for climate change to impact the snowfall. That doesn’t mean we’re out of the water, though. If things stay on track, skiing in Maine could come to an end by 2050. That’s pretty heavy news right there. Not just for the companies that profit off of the New England ski industry, but also for the people who know and love the icy skiing and fast trails that make skiing on the east so special.