"There is no question that this winter is off to a strange start. Arizona Snowbowl has received 57 inches of snow so far this season, ski resorts across the midwest stacked up over a foot of snow after Thanksgiving, and Jay Peak, Vermont broke a 25-year-old record, logging 100 inches of snowfall by Thanksgiving. Yet, across the western part of the country, the vast majority of ski areas remain closed, with snow and even cold temperatures for snowmaking remaining elusive."
"Mountain snowpacks provide essential storage of water during the winter, then feed streams and rivers throughout the summer, providing a critical source of water for many ecosystems. Humans also rely on snow-fed water sources, so the Federal Government and around a dozen state governments keep an eye on snow levels with snow telemetry, aka snotel, sites. Some of the earliest sites were installed in the 1960s, and there are around 900 sites in operation today, many with records going back to the mid-1980s."
Snowfall this winter is highly uneven: Arizona Snowbowl recorded 57 inches, parts of the Midwest received over a foot after Thanksgiving, and Jay Peak, Vermont logged 100 inches by Thanksgiving. The western United States has seen few ski areas open because snow and cold temperatures for snowmaking are largely absent. Mountain snowpacks store winter water and release it through summer, supporting ecosystems and human water supplies. Around 900 snow telemetry (snotel) sites, some installed in the 1960s with records back to the mid-1980s, monitor snow levels. Snotel measures such as snow water equivalent enable comparison of this season's early snowpack to past slow seasons.
Read at SnowBrains
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