A mixed ice and cold rain event gave us a pretty good punch on Monday. The lack of wind and near freezing temperatures allowed the coverage and depth of snow on the mountains to hold up very well and it certainly solidifies an early season foundation ahead of future, better events. That said, the layer of crust will be undeniable until we get that future snow.
Colder air is reestablishing itself over New England and skiers can expect a blustery Tuesday with temperatures generally in the single numbers. Yes, we have the instability for a few snow showers and we if we could align the winds properly, we might procure several needed inches. Winds appear too westerly though for a big accumulation so we are likely destined for a deluxe dust on crust situation with 1-2 inches. Some drifting of that minimal powder will make the softer snow a bit deeper in favored areas of a trail if you're really hungry.
Different kind of day can be expected New Year's Eve with lighter winds and a milder flow of air in a relative sense that will allow temps near the base to inch toward the 20 degree mark. We also have a clipper system associated with a reinforcing push of arctic cold. This weak and disorganized system is positioned to provide us with a bit of snow but is just getting overpowered by the mid-winter polar jet and won't be allowed to reach any form of greatness before departing. Still, we can expect some light snow to begin during the ski day and become steady for a time during the evening. The fluffy nature of the snowfall should assist us into the 2-5 inch range prior to first tracks on New Year's Day unless this area of low pressure can find some late 4th quarter magic and gain a bit more potency. We can then expect a cold New Year's Day with more single digit temperatures. The wind does not appear as ferocious as Tuesday and the shallow stable nature of the late week cold should allow for a period of sunshine Thursday. More sun should allow the sub-zero temperatures Friday to climb up into the teens before clouds advance back into the region later in the day.
The clouds late on Friday are expected to eventually deliver a bit more light snow to us Friday night ahead of another very chilly weekend. Once again, New England, which has been the center of coldest weather this past month, will be near the center once again. Temperatures both days will only get to about 10 degrees on the mountain with readings below zero at night. Saturday appears to have 10-20 mph winds while the winds on Sunday will be a bit quieter. Sunshine should make an appearance both days with Sunday looking a little brighter right now.
As a whole, January looks more promising and some of the ominous indications during the first week of January are now gone. Interestingly, ensembles indicate a loss of jet stream support in the Pacific. We've had the benefit of a relatively soft jet stream most of this month. As this happens however, we get saved by the development of a large downstream block in the Jet Stream over Greenland. This makes the weather next week look very interesting and ensures that we will extend the stretch of above freezing temperatures which will begin Monday night. Two potential snow events are showing up in those initial 10 days of January. The first is a lighter event around January 2nd and then some big storm potential around the 8th and 9th of January. The jet stream in the Pacific is then expected to soften again for the middle of January which would suggest we could be in line for another exceptional start to 2026.
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