I was talking with one of our SkiNCers who resides down in Alabama this morning and after speaking "other business" he asked me for my thoughts about what Joe Bastardi was already forecasting for the upcoming winter. I had actually not yet SEEN Joe's prediction, but quickly logged into my WeatherBell account and if what Joe is forecasting for this winter comes true – then it will be an awesome winter for the snow loving fans of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic ski resorts!
We had already reported what the Old Farmer's Almanac was forecasting of temperatures some 3-5 degrees colder than normal for most all of the 2014-2015 winter.
Here's WeatherBell's map supporting the same.
However when I checked out what Joe and his team at WeatherBell are forecasting in terms of snow – I had to admit a HUGE smile took over my face.
That map can ALSO be seen in larger format at the bottom of this page, because you'll want to pay special attention to the fact that his 167% more snow than normal forecast encompasses our entire ski resort coverage area!
We know that there are MANY of you weather junkies out there who will want to know more and dig deeper…and here's a LINK to the data to support the forecast. (Bear in mind that you will need to sign up an account to access the page – but there IS a FREE 7 day trial if you want to go that route.)
http://www.weatherbell.com/premium/joe-bastardi/winter-excerpted-from-180-day
Suffice to say that Joe and WeatherBell compares the patterns and setup of the weather right now and compares that with previous seasons, He suggests that this winter will closely resemble those seasons of 2002-2003 and 2009-2010.
Bear in mind that Beech Mountain had 122" (compared to a normal of 80") and Snowshoe had 229" of snowfall (compared to their average of 180").
Let's hope the old guy is right!!! Frankly I'll take 133% more snow than normal. So bring it on.
