Denver still snowless, while Vermont ski slopes are off to a record start
It's a story of haves and have-nots in the United States for snow this autumn so far. Denver still hasn't seen flakes, while Vermont is buried.
Thanks to several feet of fresh snow in mid-November, Mammoth Mountain officially opened to skiers and snowboarders on Nov. 20.
It's still very early in the snow season for the United States, but so far, some regions have pulled ahead while others have fallen far behind. According to snow data from NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC), displayed by Penn State, most of the western two-thirds of the country — as well as much of the I-95 corridor — are stuck at zero percent of normal snowfall through Nov. 21.
On the other hand, the mountains of Southern California and the Ohio Valley are above the historical average to date, between 150 and 500 percent of what they should have by this time of year.
Snow-less in Denver
If Denver gets through Friday with no snow, the city will surpass its second-latest first snowfall on record, Nov. 21. The latest first measurable snowfall in the city's history record occurred on Dec. 1h, 2021. Measurable snowfall means at least one-tenth of an inch of snow.
Parts of Tennessee, North Carolina and even South Carolins received rare early-season snow last week, ahead of the Mile-High City. It even snowed in Hawaii this week.
Denver's City and County Building is covered in snow as a pedestrian crosses the street on Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. A powerful winter storm swept across Colorado on Friday as it headed east, bringing blizzard warnings to eastern Colorado and western Kansas, and winter storm warnings for southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Great start to the ski season in Vermont
In Vermont, it's a whole different story. Jay Peak has received 93 inches of snow so far this season, nearly three times its average of 3 feet, and the slopes are just opening for the first day of the ski resort's season on Saturday.
"It’s been full-on winter all week," the resort wrote on its website. "Thanks to that push," they added, "we’ve built a base at Stateside strong enough to open the Jet Triple, the Taxi Quad, and the carpet."
At nearby Mount Mansfield, the snow depth was 39 inches on Tuesday, a new record for the date. Regular snow measurements have been taken at Mt. Mansfield since 1954. Only one year, 1990, had more snow earlier in the season.
The blockbuster season at New England and Appalachian ski resorts, along with above-average snow in the Ohio Valley, is attributed to unusually cold weather moving over the unusually warm Great Lakes. These lakes had featured above-average water temperatures since the beginning of October, until this week.
California mountains also above average
It has been an unusually active fall for atmospheric rivers in California, resulting in above-normal snowfall in the mountains. Mammoth Mountain, in Southern California, received 16 inches of snow in October and another 24 so far this November. The ski resort there opened on Nov. 20, earlier than normal.
Mammoth's mascot skis on opening day, Nov. 20, 2025. (Mammoth Mountain)
At the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab in Donner Pass, California, 22 inches of snow have fallen so far this year, close to the historical average for this time of year.
There is reason to hope for more snow in the upcoming weeks, even in the I-95 corridor, as colder weather is on the horizon, AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno says in Friday's episode of the "Forecast Feed."
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