{"id":156865,"date":"2025-08-18T22:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T22:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/156865\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T22:48:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T22:48:14","slug":"la-nina-is-coming-these-4-ski-resorts-could-benefit-the-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/156865\/","title":{"rendered":"La Ni\u00f1a Is Coming\u2014These 4 Ski Resorts Could Benefit the Most"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of its latest\u00a0ENSO diagnostic discussion<\/a>\u00a0published earlier this month, NOAA narrowly favors the emergence of La Ni\u00f1a conditions during the fall and the first few months of winter. <\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s\u00a0anticipated odds of La Ni\u00f1a<\/a>\u00a0peak during\u00a0a three-month stretch\u00a0between October and December. Then, the agency predicted, ENSO will return to its neutral phase.<\/p>\n

Skiers closely watch the phases of ENSO, which stands for El Ni\u00f1o-Southern Oscillation. Why? The climatic phenomenon corresponds with cooler-than-average Pacific sea temperatures that nudge the weather and provide forecasters with helpful clues about what any given winter might look like.\u00a0Keep reading for the fours ski resorts that POWDER thinks could benefit the most if La Ni\u00f1a does occur during Winter 25\/26.<\/p>\n

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing?\u00a0Subscribe<\/a>\u00a0to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.<\/p>\n

\"During<\/p>\n

During La Ni\u00f1a, some ski resorts tend to see more snow than others.<\/p>\n

How Does La Ni\u00f1a Impact Winter Weather?<\/p>\n

In terms of ski conditions, La Ni\u00f1a tends to favor the northwestern U.S., where states like Washington, Oregon, and Idaho have, over the decades, seen higher-than-average snowfall when the climatic phenomenon appears. The opposite is true for Southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n

El Ni\u00f1o, La Ni\u00f1a’s counterpart, flips the ENSO script, with colder-than-average temperatures and more precipitation likelier across the southern U.S. But NOAA doesn\u2019t expect it to show its face anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Then, there’s ENSO\u2019s neutral phase\u2014also known as La Nada\u2014which doesn\u2019t load the meteorological dice in either direction. That makes it harder for forecasters to predict where powder might land in advance.<\/p>\n

\"Skiing<\/p>\n

Skiing in the backcountry at Mt. Baker, Washington. The ski area once set a snowfall world record during La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

4 Ski Resorts That Could Benefit the Most From La Ni\u00f1a<\/p>\n

Historically, the\u00a0La Ni\u00f1a snow bullseye<\/a>\u00a0has been firmly trained\u00a0on Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana. It stretches into British Columbia and Alberta, too. <\/p>\n

If La Ni\u00f1a emerges, then ski resorts in those states and provinces are the ones to watch. While these mountains aren\u2019t guaranteed bottomless powder, their chances of snow days increase when La Ni\u00f1a comes to town. <\/p>\n

Each resort’s average snowfall, and the previous winter’s snowfall totals (which was affected by La Ni\u00f1a), have been included below:<\/p>\n

\"Mt.Mt. Baker Ski Area was slammed with deep snowfall in November of 2024. La Ni\u00f1a could deliver similar conditions this winter.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Mt&period; Baker Ski Area<\/p>\n

1. Mt. Baker, Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n

Average snowfall:<\/strong> 688 inches<\/p>\n

2024-2025 season snowfall:<\/strong> 585 inches<\/p>\n

Mt. Baker is the La Ni\u00f1a powder skiing poster child. During the 1998-1999 ski season, a moderately strong La Ni\u00f1a appeared. At Mt. Baker, it started snowing and didn\u2019t stop. By the end of that winter, the ski area had racked up 1,140 inches of snow or 95 feet.<\/strong> NOAA verified the total as a new snowfall world record. La Ni\u00f1a or not, Mt. Baker is known for its deep snow. On average, the ski area receives nearly 700 inches each winter.<\/p>\n

\"Timberline2. Timberline Lodge, Oregon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Average Snowfall: <\/strong>N\/A (Timberline does not report an average snowfall, but the mountain regularly records more than 500 inches per season)<\/p>\n

2024-2025 season snowfall:<\/strong> 533 inches<\/p>\n

Perhaps best known for its lift-served summer skiing, Timberline Lodge is also a wintertime powerhouse that accumulates a deep well of snow. Last winter, the ski resort’s snow depth peaked around 13 and a half feet<\/a>. Like Mt. Baker, Timberline Lodge is positioned in the heart of the historical Pacific Northwest La Ni\u00f1a snowfall pattern.<\/p>\n

\"Scenic<\/p>\n

Scenic photo of Whistler mountain and Blackcomb terrain park.<\/p>\n

3. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Average snowfall:<\/strong> 408 inches<\/p>\n

2024-2025 season snowfall:<\/strong> N\/A<\/p>\n

Whistler Blackcomb is another La Ni\u00f1a beneficiary with improved odds that its yearly snowfall total climbs above its already high 408-inch average.\u00a0Western British Columbia is among the regions throughout North America that can see more snow during La Ni\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

\"LookoutLookout Pass Ski Area.<\/p>\n

CSNafzger&sol;Shutterstock<\/p>\n

4. Lookout Pass, Idaho\/Montana<\/p>\n

Average snowfall:<\/strong> 450 inches<\/p>\n

2024-2025 season snowfall:<\/strong> 452 inches<\/p>\n

Perched on the Idaho and Montana border, Lookout Pass is relatively small and lesser known, but that doesn’t mean the snow doesn’t stack up here. Last winter, the ski area opened early on November 8 thanks to a fall storm. By the time the season ended, Lookout Pass had amassed about 450 inches of snow at its summit. La Ni\u00f1a could bode well for the little ski area, tipping the scales towards another powder frenzy.<\/p>\n

Related: Below Average Snowfall Predicted for California This Winter by Popular YouTube Meteorologist<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

La Ni\u00f1a Is Coming\u2014These 4 Ski Resorts Could Benefit the Most<\/a> first appeared on Powder on Aug 18, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As of its latest\u00a0ENSO diagnostic discussion\u00a0published earlier this month, NOAA narrowly favors the emergence of La Ni\u00f1a conditions…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":156866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,91272,91275,2961,224,5337,91273,12461,91274],"class_list":{"0":"post-156865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-enso","11":"tag-inches-of-snow","12":"tag-la","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-losangeles","15":"tag-mt-baker","16":"tag-noaa","17":"tag-ski-resorts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115052210353629693","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}