2003-04 Ski Season Summary

The following major weather patterns affected the ski season.
Early November: There were two moderate storm tracks, one in western Canada and the other moving from the Sierra through Utah and into the Southwest.
Late November through early December Storms through out the Northwest, Northern Rockies and Utah. Utah was loaded for this early as the only region hit by both early weather patterns.
Mid-December through the holidays This was the stormiest part of the season. All areas had substantial snow in mid-December, resulting in the best holiday coverage since 1996-97. After a short respite, the Sierra, Utah and Colorado were pounded over the peak holiday period.
Most of January: As soon as the holidays were over, high pressure took over and most areas had less than half normal snow for the next 3 weeks.
Late January, early February: The January dry spell ended with major storms in the Northwest and Northern Rockies, which carried on with decreasing intensity to Utah and Colorado.
Mid-to-late February: Now the storms shifted south, with big dumps in the Sierra, Utah and the Southwest.
March: It is fortunate that the season through February was above average, because this was probably the warmest and driest March on record in the western U.S. overall. Only western Canada was cool enough and with a few refresher storms to maintain winter conditions.
Spring: The warm weather continued in many regions, with Canada being nearly as warm and dry as the U.S. was in March. Colorado was the only region close to average in spring snowfall, with other U.S. regions being about half normal
For more detail on snow incidence by month and region, see 2003-04 Ski Season Analysis.