Skiers and snowboarders, the forecast you’ve been waiting for is here

It’s a forecast that makes drivers cringe, but skiers and snowboarders cheer.

“We’ve got a series of weather systems coming in from the Gulf of Alaska that are going to bring a lot of snow between [Tuesday] afternoon, all the way into Thursday,” said KIRO Newsradio Meteorologist Ted Buehner. He said a winter storm warning is in effect for the Cascades until 4 p.m., Thursday.

“In the Cascades, many areas are going to have somewhere between two and four feet of new snow, with snow levels basically at or below the passes,” Buehner said.

The forecast is for clearer skies and slightly warmer temperatures from Friday through the weekend, but not warm enough to cause significant snow melt in the mountains.

“In fact, this weekend as the snow tapers off, it’ll probably be close to ideal snow conditions for those who are going to slide down the hill, snowboarders, backcountry enthusiasts, etcetera,” Buehner said.

WA ski resorts welcome snow flurries

“Thank goodness the snow’s finally arrived. It’s starting to look like a more normal winter pattern, finally,” said Guy Lawrence, President and General Manager of Summit at Snoqualmie ski resort. “We’ll take it because, yes, we could use a lot more snow. We’re still trying to get more terrain and lifts open.”

Like most area resorts, Summit at Snoqualmie saw the start of its ski season delayed due to warmer weather and a lack of snow. Lawrence said that’s not unusual, describing December weather as being “fickle,” but they do try to at least open before the lucrative winter holiday weekend.

Summit West was able to open on Dec. 23, despite the latest in a series of atmospheric rivers in December that soaked the mountains and melted all but a bit of manmade snow at the resort.

It was quite a turnaround. “It was, yeah, from wet dirt, mud, grass — to an open lift and ski trails,” he chuckled, “Yeah, it took a lot of work in between.”

All said, they were fortunate.

“We all endured some crazy atmospheric river activity. We were minimally affected. Unfortunately, other ski areas in the state had far, far worse effects,” Lawrence said.

Due to the threat of landslides and flooding, Stevens Pass Ski Resort evacuated about 100 staff members who had been preparing for the ski season on Dec. 10, according to The Seattle Times.

Storm damage prompted the closure of US 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth, hindering access to the Stevens Pass resort. Repairs were made, and WSDOT partially reopened US 2 westbound on Jan. 1, though restrictions continue on US 2 eastbound.

Resorts anticipate high traffic to begin ski season

Now, with significant snow forecast for the mountains this week, western Washington’s many ski resorts are hoping for a good boost in business.

Lawrence said the heavy snow also coincides with the start of several ski schools at Summit at Snoqualmie.

“Every area [of the resort] will see — I would say — a pretty maximum crowd this weekend,” Lawrence said.

Washington State’s ski resorts are expected to generate $172.7 million and employ more than 3,200 people in 2026, according to the global market research firm IBISWorld.

That’s a lot of green — and a lot of fun for powder hounds — generated from all that white, falling from the sky this week.

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories here.

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