Though La Niña pushed Wood River Valley residents to the verge of Vitamin D deficiency during a cold, wet spring, this same weather system could be a boon to skiers this upcoming winter.
"There's a better-than-average chance that snowfall will be greater than last year," said Chris Hattings, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service station in Pocatello.
La Niña—Spanish for "the girl"—is a weather system that brings varied but fairly predictable effects across the county. It is associated with cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures and stronger easterly trade winds.
Hattings said the system began in June or July of this year. The above-average precipitation will likely continue as La Niña strengthens and develops, he said.
"We do expect La Niña to last though the winter," Hattings said.
He said the system may begin to taper off in February.
More snow may also mean less sun for Sun Valley.
"Usually, with above-average precipitation, you get above-average cloud cover," Hattings said, meaning the winter months could be fairly gloomy ones.
While La Niña normally causes dry seasons and above-normal temperatures in the Southwest, it also slams the East Coast with severe weather, something evident in the later part of this summer.
"The big thing with La Niña is increased hurricane activity," Hattings said.
With two and a half months left in hurricane season, there have been 13 tropical storms or hurricanes in the Atlantic, as compared with 11 total storms the ocean saw last year. The last La Niña system swept through the U.S. in 2007, with 17 storms.
The last La Niña year was in 2007. Atypically for a La Niña winter, Sun Valley Resort delayed its ski season opening then for two days due to warm weather and rain, combined with an early Thanksgiving. In 2008, under El Niño conditions, warm weather delayed the opening of Bald Mountain from Thanksgiving Day to Dec. 10. El Niño—"the boy"—is associated with warmer water temperatures in the Pacific.
However, Hattings said that this year temperatures are expected to remain in the normal to slightly below-normal range. Thanksgiving is five days later this year than it was in 2007, giving the resort more time to prepare for the ski season's opening.
It's too early to tell when the first major snowfall in the valley will occur, Hattings said. Though the high mountains in the region received a few inches of snow on the evening of Sept. 9, the Wood River Valley forecast remains dry and sunny. Valley residents can take the opportunity to soak up the sun and boost their Vitamin D before a potentially gray but snowy winter.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Fresh snow blankets Bald Mountain in November 2008. The mountain did not open that year until Dec. 10. Photo by Willy Cook
