Latest Spring Forecast Doesn't Bode Well for Western Ski Resorts

In its latest 30-day forecast, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center leans towards above-average temperatures and below-normal precipitation across the West for the month of April, meaning an already tough season for western ski resorts could end on a toastier note.

While some parts of the West and the Northeast have seen good skiing conditions this winter, many mountains have struggled to keep their slopes coated in snow. 

Now, ski resorts are hoping for a change in the weather that could bring powder and prolong their operations. 

But the Climate Prediction Center’s forecast paints a somewhat discouraging picture for the coming month, even as March and April snowstorms are hardly unheard of.

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Climate Prediction Center April 2026 Forecast

What the forecast doesn’t do, however, is predict exact temperatures or precipitation amounts.

Instead, it anticipates the likelihood of three possible outcomes: above normal, near normal, or below normal. Darker shades on the map indicate higher likelihoods, not greater departures from normal. White means forecasters expect that there are equal chances it could go either way.

Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s snowpack map puts this winter’s status in sharp relief. A band of orange and red stretches from Washington to Colorado, indicating that, in these states, snowpacks are well below the median.

This week, as a historic heat wave hits the West, that lack of snow has translated to ski resort closure announcements. 

Around Lake Tahoe, California, some mountains are throwing in the towel earlier than usual.  In Utah, Cherry Peak, Eagle Point, and Nordic Valley have already closed. Most recently, Snowbasin, Utah, announced that it would close this weekend on Sunday, March 22. 

“We’ve had maybe one of the more challenging seasons in history,” Snowbasin’s COO & General Manager, Davey Ratchford, said in a social media post.

While you wait to hear what might at your local mountain, you know what to do: if it’s white, ski it. When the end of the season inevitably arrives, memories of skiing under the sun will be what gets you through the summer. Whether they come earlier than they should or not, slushy turns are fun.

Related: Snowbasin To End Season Prematurely: “This Is Not What We Wanted”