This week, it’s Bomb Cyclone hysteria. Earlier in the week, as the calendar turned to 2023, it was reported the Sierra snowpack was approaching a decade-long high. A week before that, the entire United States hunkered down for a blizzard that brought feet of snow and one of the most chaotic holiday travel weeks in memory. Even Hawaii got a winter storm alert from the National Weather Service that included “blizzard-like conditions.” At least once a week, we are getting fresh news of fresh snow on the horizon and a reminder that predictions of the first Triple-Dip La Niña in several decades really weren’t all that outlandish.
It’s an entirely different story on the other side of the Atlantic, however. Mountain resorts in Europe are reportedly closing right now after torrential rains and unseasonably warm weather has washed away snow in the Alps.
“Unfortunately, due to the lack of snow, the heavy rainfall and high temperatures, we have to close our ski resort until further notice. It is no longer possible for us to prepare the slopes because we have too much water . . . and the snow does not freeze at night,” one resort in Switzerland announced in a statement.
According to an official with Domaines Skiables de France (the trade-union chamber for operators of French ski areas), nearly half of France’s 7,500 ski slopes have been closed from a lack of snow. Some resorts have even reported to CNN Travel that they swapped out ski rentals for mountain bikes as a way to encourage travelers to still take advantage of the terrain.
“There’s very much two experiences at the moment,” Andy Sturt, owner of VIP Ski told Forbes this week. “If you’re above 1,700m it’s all white and everyone’s having a great time. But if you’re below 1,700m, it’s all green and you’re having to go to altitude to find snow.”
