A severe snow drought across the western United States has left ski resorts scrambling to keep lifts running, with some forced to close entirely during what should be their busiest months. Federal satellite data recorded the lowest early-December snow cover in more than two decades, and major resort operators have reported snowfall totals far below historical norms. The result is a winter season defined by limited terrain, shortened schedules, and growing financial pressure on an industry that depends on reliable cold and snow.
Record-Low Snow Cover Signals a Deeper Problem
The trouble started early. Snow cover across the West on December 7 hit the lowest level in the MODIS satellite record, which dates to 2001, according to a federal snow drought update published in mid-December 2025. That analysis tied the deficit directly to above-average temperatures, which caused precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow across many mountain basins. The distinction matters: rain runs off quickly, while snow accumulates as a frozen reservoir that feeds streams, reservoirs, and ski slopes for months.
A separate national climate review for the 2024–25 snow season confirmed below-average snowfall across several western regions, placing the resort-level struggles within a broader pattern of measured climate conditions rather than isolated bad luck. Federal snowpack monitoring through the USDA’s Snow and Water Interactive Map tracks snow water equivalent as a percentage of the 1991–2020 median, and readings across key mountain basins have lagged well behind normal levels this season.
Those findings fit into a longer-term warming trend documented by agencies such as NOAA scientists, who have reported rising average temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns across the United States. Warmer winters mean more storms that hover near the freezing point, increasing the likelihood that marginal ski elevations see rain instead of snow. Over time, that shift erodes both the reliability of early-season coverage and the depth of the snowpack that sustains resorts into March and April.
Resorts Cut Lifts and Close Doors
On the ground, the data translates into real operational pain. Western ski resorts have been running with limited lifts open, and snow depths in places like Lake Tahoe have fallen well below normal, leaving large sections of terrain inaccessible. For skiers and snowboarders who planned trips months in advance, the thin coverage means fewer runs, shorter vertical drops, and the risk of arriving at a resort that has already suspended operations.
Vail Resorts, one of the largest ski resort operators in North America, reported that Rockies snowfall was about 60% under average, with unusual weather factors including La Niña and polar vortex disruptions undermining the typical seasonal buildup. Resorts struggled to open trails by Christmas, a period that normally generates some of the highest ticket revenue of the year. When the snow does not arrive on schedule, operators face a difficult choice: invest heavily in artificial snowmaking to cover a fraction of their terrain, or accept reduced capacity and the revenue losses that come with it.
Telluride, in western Colorado, faced a compounding blow. The ski area shut down for nearly two weeks this winter because of a strike by its ski patrollers, layering labor disruption on top of already thin natural snow coverage. The combination of weather and workforce problems at a single resort illustrates how narrow the margins have become: even a brief shutdown during a low-snow year can erase weeks of potential revenue and damage a destination’s reputation with travelers who have limited vacation windows.
Smaller, independently owned hills often have less financial cushion than large corporate operators. When they are forced to close mid-season or operate with only a handful of runs open, the impact ripples through local economies built around winter tourism. Lodging occupancy drops, restaurants and shops see fewer customers, and seasonal workers may find their hours cut just as housing and living costs climb in many mountain towns.
Why La Niña Did Not Deliver
One of the more confounding aspects of this season is that La Niña, a climate pattern that historically brings above-average snowfall to parts of the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest, was active. Under typical conditions, cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific help steer storm tracks toward the Northwest and northern Rockies, often translating into deeper snowpacks at higher elevations.
This time, the expected benefit did not materialize in a straightforward way. Polar vortex behavior and persistent warmth at lower and mid-elevations appear to have overridden the moisture signal that La Niña typically provides. The result was storms that arrived too warm, depositing rain at elevations where snow would normally accumulate. In some basins, snow did fall at the highest peaks, but the elevation band most critical to lift-served skiing saw more mixed precipitation and shorter-lived snow cover.
This disconnect between climate-pattern expectations and actual outcomes is significant because it challenges a common assumption in ski industry planning. Resort operators and tourism boards often use La Niña and El Niño forecasts as rough guides for staffing, snowmaking budgets, and marketing campaigns. When a La Niña year produces a 60% snowfall deficit in the Rockies, the predictive value of those traditional signals comes into question. Future planning may need to weight temperature forecasts more heavily than precipitation patterns alone, especially as warming trends push the rain–snow line higher up the mountains.
Snowmaking Cannot Close the Gap
Artificial snowmaking has long served as insurance against lean natural snowfall years, but the technology has clear limits. Snowmaking requires sustained cold temperatures, typically below about 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and large quantities of water and electricity. When warm conditions persist through December and January, as they did across much of the West this season, the windows for effective snowmaking shrink dramatically.
Resorts at lower elevations or in rain-shadow basins face the steepest challenge. A ski area at 7,000 feet that could once count on consistent sub-freezing nights may now see temperatures hover near the threshold for days at a time, making snowmaking intermittent and expensive. Higher-elevation resorts in places like the Wasatch Range or the upper Rockies retain a natural advantage, but even they cannot manufacture enough snow to cover entire mountains when the base layer never builds. The energy and water costs of running snowmaking systems at scale add financial strain precisely when ticket sales are weakest.
Water availability is another constraint. Many western resorts draw from municipal systems or nearby streams and reservoirs that are already under pressure from drought and competing uses. As snow droughts become more frequent, local water managers may face difficult tradeoffs between supporting recreation, meeting residential demand, and maintaining ecological flows downstream. In some jurisdictions, stricter permitting or seasonal limits on withdrawals could further cap how much artificial snow resorts can produce.
Adapting to an Uncertain Winter Future
The current season’s struggles have prompted a broader reckoning within the ski industry about how to adapt to increasingly volatile winters. Some operators are investing in higher-elevation terrain, upgrading lift infrastructure to reach colder aspects where snow lingers longer. Others are diversifying their business models, building out year-round attractions such as mountain biking, hiking, and festivals to reduce dependence on a single strong snow season.
Reliable climate information will be central to that transition. Agencies that monitor weather and climate have been updating their products and communication tools, as reflected in technical notices like recent NESDIS change documents outlining adjustments to satellite data services. For ski areas, more granular temperature and precipitation projections at specific elevations could help refine decisions about snowmaking investments, season pass pricing, and long-term capital projects.
Communities built around winter sports are also grappling with what a less snowy future might mean for local identity. Towns that have long marketed themselves as guaranteed snow destinations are beginning to emphasize broader outdoor access, cultural events, and food and arts scenes. That shift will not fully replace the draw of deep powder days, but it may prove essential to keeping mountain economies viable as climate pressures mount.
For now, this winter’s snow drought offers a stark preview of those pressures. Record-low early-season snow cover, major resorts reporting double-digit percentage deficits, and high-profile temporary closures have shown how quickly a warm, dry start can upend even the most carefully planned season. As the climate continues to warm, the question for western ski areas is not whether such seasons will recur, but how often, and how prepared they will be when the next one arrives.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
