Utah Ski Resorts Target Nov. 20 Opening as Forecasters Warn of 500-Year Super El Niño
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Aug 19
Utah Ski Resorts Target Nov. 20 Opening as Forecasters Warn of 500-Year Super El Niño
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Aug 19
Summary
Park City Mountain set a Nov. 20 target opening date as Utah resorts prepare snowmaking plans around a potentially record-strength El Niño winter.
Forecaster Evan Thayer said the event could be the strongest El Niño in modern records and possibly in 500 years, but Utah's snowfall response remains weakly correlated and hard to predict.
Past super El Niño winters in Utah have split sharply: 1982-83 brought exceptional snow and Salt Lake City flooding, while 2015-16 ended with slightly below-normal snowpack.
Warmer temperatures could blunt any precipitation boost, and Thayer said El Niño winters often start slowly before stronger effects arrive in February and March.
That uncertainty matters for Utah's ski industry after last winter's slow start, with Park City also due to host Shaun White's Snow League event in January.