La Niña returns as fall storms dump snow on B.C. ski hills

With La Niña back in the long-term forecast and some early dumps of snow, it's beginning to look a lot like winter on ski hills across B.C.

At Whistler, spokeswoman Chelsea Moen said the mountain has received 80 cm of snow in recent weeks and opening weekend is set for Nov. 24.

But the mountain could open even earlier than that if the snowfall continues, she said.

"Overall this is really strong conditions for October. It is a little hard to predict because October conditions really do go all over the map, but from where we are standing right now things are looking really positive."

La Niña back in the forecast

Moen notes forecasters are revising their long-term forecasts and predicting a La Niña once again this winter. She notes historically that has meant colder than average temperatures and above average snowfall for Whistler.

La Niña is the opposite of El Niño, which is characterized by warm waters in the tropical Pacific. La Niña brings with it unusually cool ocean temperatures.

According to CBC Meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, the La Niña weather pattern may be back in the forecast for late fall, but it's not exactly one for the record books.

"The outlook is for a weak and short-lived event based on the slightly cooler than normal temperatures in the equatorial Pacific waters," said Wagstaffe on Monday. 

"But there's still a pretty good chance La Niña will affect our winter here on the West Coast by impacting the position of our jet stream."

"Typically La Niña events for us mean wetter than normal conditions from the coast right through the Rockies. There is also a better chance temperatures will be, on average, slightly cooler for the Rockies which is why there are high hopes for a great ski season.

"As for coastal temperatures — those are harder to predict with a weak La Nina. All eyes will be on that snow line over the next few months," said Wagstaffe.

Opening weeks away

Lake Louise in Alberta is, at the moment, predicting one of the earliest openings — scheduled for Nov. 10. Marmot is scheduled to open the next day.

Near Nelson, the Whitewater Ski Resort is reporting a 93 cm base, but has yet to post an opening day.

In the Okanagan, Big White is also scheduled to open Nov. 24, while further east, Revelstoke is reporting 60 cm of snow with the opening day set for Dec. 3.