The La Niña Build-Up Continues: Get Ready For an Epic 2024-25 Ski Season!
La Niña’s amping up the excitement for amazing ski adventures this winter!
Get ready for the upcoming ski and snowboarding season with some exciting news: above-average snowfall is predicted this winter! The La Niña watch has officially begun, and all signs point to favourable conditions for a season full of fresh powder.
What exactly is La Niña, and Why Are We Expecting Tons of Snow?
La Niña is a climate pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, where sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific are cooler than normal. It is the opposite of El Niño, greatly influences global weather patterns, and impacts winter weather in North America.
Whether winter seasons will be characterized by La Niña or El Niño conditions typically depends on the flow of the polar (cooler) and southern (warmer) jetstreams across the Pacific Ocean. We’ve been following reputed meteorologist Chris Tomer’s 2024-2025 forecasts, and it's looking pretty great.
Flow of Polar and Pacific Jetstreams that impact La Niña and El Niño conditions.
The polar jetstream is key for La Niña conditions as it brings in colder air for optimum snowfall. Currently, it is directed toward the Northwest, meaning more snow for the Northern Hemisphere's westernmost areas. Tomer accurately predicted heavier precipitation on North America's East Coast last winter, so we’re hopeful that this season's above-average snowpack will hold true, too. The promising news is music to the ears of all winter sports enthusiasts out there.
The oceanic zone near the equator is where La Niña is detected. Negative temperatures signify La Niña's arrival. This year, water temperatures are between -0.5°C and -1.0°C, suggesting a weaker La Niña, or “La Niña lite,” according to Tomer.
Flow of Polar and Pacific Jetstreams that impact La Niña and El Niño conditions.
Nevertheless, we’re still expecting to receive tons of fresh pow for you to shred, as we’re smack in the middle of emerging La Niña conditions—71% between September and November, according to the NOAA.
How is the 2024-25 ski season shaping up?
After the epic consecutive La Niña conditions from 2020 to 2023, last winter was faced with warmer El Niño conditions in the Northwest. Now, we’re ecstatic with the tides turning in our favour (quite literally), marking the fourth La Niña winter in five years.
The Pacific Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, can expect some early action with the oncoming snowpack. (Meanwhile, our neighbours in the central and southern regions of Northern America might stay warm and dry). This snow should persist until March 2025, and that means…ideal heliskiing and heli snowboarding conditions with light, airy snow for days of unlimited vertical!
Chris Tomer’s storm track forecast for the Pacific Northwest regions.
The current La Niña anomaly is sitting at -1.0°C, which mirrors conditions before 2016’s La Niña event. Taking a peek at snowfall records of the 2016-17 winter season at ski resorts across Western Canada, analysis shows that snowfall was about 18% above average.
It is too early to predict exactly how much snowfall can be expected throughout the approaching winter, but the NOAA has stated that even a mild La Niña could still bring significant winter weather patterns. Despite the weaker La Niña, this winter already looks promising, so we remain hopeful for yet another banging ski season.
Only time will tell how La Niña will materialize for us in the Pacific Northwest, but you can definitely count on snow. Till then, all you avid skiers located in Europe, Central and Eastern Canada, and Southern America should start planning your heliskiing getaway with us in Northwestern BC!
When it comes to leveraging the best snow conditions, it's all about timing—start prepping now, so when long-range forecasts identify storms 1-2 weeks (or longer) in advance, you’ll be ready to hit the slopes and enjoy layers on layers of deep powder. We’ll be following Meteorologist Chris Tomer’s bi-weekly winter forecasts starting in November, so stay tuned for more!
To learn more about Northern Escape’s heliskiing, see our Guide to Heli-Skiing in BC. To plan your ultimate ski vacation, call us Toll-free at 1-888-210-2263, contact us online, or visit our booking page; we can’t wait to meet you in the mountains!