Denver Stays Snowless as Vermont and California See Early Season Surges

Thanksgiving week is also the unofficial start to the ski and snowboarding season across the U.S. While some parts of the country are off to a great start for snow production, other areas are lagging behind the seasonal norm. Here is a look at where the flakes are already flying and what areas are still in a snow drought.

Denver Remains Snowless Heading into Thanksgiving Week

Although it is still too early to make any long-term conclusions about how the snow season will unfold across the U.S. this year, there are some interesting trends emerging. For example, while the mountains of Vermont have been buried in snow, the city of Denver has yet to see any measurable accumulation.

According to the latest snow day from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the bulk of the western two-thirds of the country has seen 0% of its typical snowfall through November 21. The majority of the Interstate 95 corridor is also still snowless.

Conversely, the higher terrains of Southern California and a large swath of the Ohio Valley are trending well over the historical average through this date. These areas are hovering between 150% and 500% of the normal snowfall levels leading up to Thanksgiving week.

One of the most curious observations is that Denver has not seen any snow this season. The Mile High City surpassed the second-latest snowfall record on Friday. The record for the latest first snowfall in the metro area is December 1, 2021. The National Weather Service (NWS) defines measurable snowfall as at least one-tenth of an inch.

As Denver remains snowless, the top terrain of Hawaii picked up significant snow accumulation last week. Other areas that have experienced snow this season before Denver include parts of Tennessee and the Carolinas.

Snow Machine on Full Throttle in Vermont

The Vermont ski industry has been the beneficiary of an active storm track over this part of New England. Jay Peak has recorded 93 inches of snow already. This is almost three times the historical average of 36 inches at this point of the season. The abundance of snow is a welcome sight for the skiers and snowboarders arriving at the resort for opening day on Saturday.