You’ve likely never experienced -84°F (~-64.5°C). Maybe you’ve experienced negative temperatures. Maybe you’ve even experienced negative temperatures reaching -40°F or -50°F with wind chill. But most people reading this have probably never experienced -84°F.

How cold is -84°F, you ask? While I haven’t personally ever experienced temperatures that cold in my life, I can tell you that it’s cold enough to freeze a glass of root beer as it’s being poured from the can.

Photographer Jeff Capps spent quite a while in Antarctica, documenting his experiences with life on the south pole on Instagram. Let me tell you, it looks darn cold. And yes, he showed the world that it gets cold enough to freeze a glass of root beer as it’s being poured from the can.

Temperatures Of Antarctica

Obviously we’re all skiers, so most of us can handle the cold fairly well. Go stick your hand in your freezer, though. See how cold that feels. It’s typically recommended that those sit right at or below 0°F. It’s pretty darn cold, and I imagine, if you left your hand in there for quite a while, you’d get fairly uncomfortable.

The average temperature at the South Pole during the summer is 18 degrees colder than the recommended freezer temperature (-18°F). Now, depending on where you live, you might have experienced temperatures that cold while skiing, snowboarding, or just generally living your life (I’m talking to you, East Coast).

The average winter temperature at the South Pole, on the other hand, sits at a nice and warm -76°F. That you probably haven’t experienced. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was a frigid -128.6°F (-89.2°C). In temperatures below -10°F, it can take just 10 minutes for frostbite to set in. Imagine what it would feel like in -120°F?

Related: How To Prevent Frostbite When Skiing And Snowboarding

Image Credit: Jeff Capps via Instagram

On Sunday & Monday, a ginormous rainstorm rammed through the Northeast. This has resulted in some catastrophic flooding, especially in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Towns throughout the Mount Washington Valley saw substantial damage due to the heavy rain and wind, along with the melting snowpack.

In Gorham, one video submitted to WMUR by Nick Goodwin showed flooding from Moose Brook leading to trucks being pushed through the stream.

In Jackson, the flooding resulted in some unbelievable scenes. Andrew Drummond, who runs the White Mountain Ski Company, shared a variety of brutal videos of the damage caused by the flooding.

Drummond’s first video down below, which was shared by the Out of Collective, shows Jackson Falls, which is typically a quaint series of waterfalls, became a set of roaring rapids that would give even the most tenured kayaker chills.

Lieutenant Kevin Bennett of the Jackson Fire Department described the scope of the flooding to the Boston Globe:

“Every major secondary river was maxed out…a lot of places flooded out that I’d never seen before.”

From what we’ve seen, the flooding likely has caused significant damage to homes and businesses across the region. For now, ski resorts in the region, like Attitash, Bretton Woods, Cranmore, Loon, Pleasant Mountain, Sunday River, and Wildcat, remain closed.

We’ll keep you posted on how to help out these communities in need.

Image/Video Credits: Nick Goodwin/WMUR, Andrew Drummond/OutOfCollective, Andrew Drummond/WMUR

Sugarloaf, Maine’s largest ski resort, is closed today, December 19, due to major road and infrastructure damage. Yesterday’s storm, which left hundreds of thousands of people without power along the East Coast, damaged the mountain, parts of the resort’s village, and roads leading to and around the resort.

Sugarloaf has not yet released an estimate on when they will reopen, but an update is at some point today. Carrabassett Valley Police posted an image of a washed out Route 27, the road leading to Sugarloaf’s access road, at the Redington Bridge near Tuft’s Pond Road North. The police department requested early this morning that nobody attempts to access Sugarloaf at this time.

Other posts show water rushing over the major roads throughout Carrabassett Valley, washing out the bank along the side of Route 27. The nearby Carrabassett River can be seen rushing nearby, and water flows can be seen flowing towards ski cabins.

Farmington, Maine, home to the University of Maine Farmington, the small Titcomb Mountain, and one of the major routes to both Sugarloaf and Saddleback (which is also closed), can be seen suffering from major flooding in posts made to Facebook. Some images show what appear to be washed out sheds, near fully covered vehicles, and water up to the top of street signs and the large McDonald’s sign in town.

If you’re in an area affected by this storm, please stay safe! If you’re at Sugarloaf, stay dry and try to avoid driving anywhere. If you’re not at Sugarloaf, don’t try to go. Road closures will certainly prevent you from getting there, and road conditions will likely make any drive unsafe.

It’s sad to see all of this damage throughout New England. Hopefully these mountains, including Sugarloaf, Saddleback, and Sunday River, can get things repaired quickly, and hopefully some snow will hit the ground in the near future so the East Coast ski season can get going once again!

Related: One Of Sunday River’s Roads Washes Out Due To Heavy Rain

Image Credit: Carrabassett Valley Police Department via Facebook

Meteorologist Chris Tomer gives us the latest weather update for 12//18/2023.

Chris Tomer is a renowned meteorologist and outdoor enthusiast, widely respected for his expertise in weather forecasting and mountain meteorology. With a passion for the great outdoors, Tomer combines his meteorological knowledge with a love for adventure sports, providing invaluable insights for those seeking to navigate the weather’s impact on outdoor activities.

“Wow. Holy shit.”– Paul Bourget.

People are starting to assess the damage from the severe rainfall across New England, and it’s not pretty.

Today, WCVB shared videos sent to them by locals Paul Bourget and Joe Smith of one of Sunday River’s roads being washed out. A portion of Summit Road, which leads up to the Grand Summit Hotel, is now impassible and will require a fix before the Maine ski resort’s busy season begins. Based on scrolling through the Sunday River Enthusiasts Facebook page, this is not the only road or area of the ski resort that is facing significant damage.

Sunday River has announced that they won’t be opening tomorrow. This is a developing story, so we’ll keep you posted on the latest developments regarding the floods across the Northeast.

Image/Video Credits: Paul Bourget, Joe Smith, WCVB

Over the past 24 hours, a large number of Northeast ski resorts have posted messages like this on their social media pages:

Currently, a major rainstorm is making its way through the Northeast. With most in the region receiving inches of rain, many ski resorts announced that they won’t be operating today. Other ski resorts, like Killington and Stratton, announced that they’d be closing early due to the deteriorating conditions. A growing amount of mountains, like Saddleback and Pleasant Mountain, have decided to remain closed on Tuesday due to various factors. The snow on natural terrain has melted, and mountain operations will have their work cut out for them on the trails that have relied on snowmaking. In addition, flooding is now an issue, especially at Sunday River.

It’s been a mixed bag for the Northeast this season. The ski season has been great for Northern Vermont, as they’ve had some solid base-building storms. Unfortunately, this hosing is likely going to damage the natural snowpack. Other parts of the region, like where I live in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire, have been less lucky, with more rain than snow.

After the rain comes through, it seems like many ski resorts will have some chances to make snow in the evenings.

Let’s hope the Heat Miser loses this winter. He’s too much.

Image Credits: Loon Mountain Resort (Featured Image), Stratton Mountain Resort (Header Image), Waterville Valley Resort, Magic Mountain, Pats Peak

This summer, NOAA declared the arrival of El Nino, which will last throughout the winter. And now we are seeing a slow start to winter for many areas across the United States, with some of the lowest levels of snowpack in the past 20 years.

The presence of El Niño, a climate phenomenon, can significantly impact weather patterns, but it does not “cancel” winter. However, El Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. This change in ocean temperature can influence atmospheric conditions, leading to varied weather effects around the world.

In regions typically affected by El Niño:

1. Warmer Winters: Some areas might experience milder and warmer winters than usual.
2. Precipitation Changes: It can lead to changes in precipitation patterns, causing wetter or drier conditions in different regions.
3. Storm Patterns: The track and intensity of storms, particularly in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, can be altered.

However, these effects vary and depend on the strength of the El Niño event and other climatic factors. El Niño is just one element in the complex system that determines global weather patterns. It’s important to consult local weather forecasts for accurate, region-specific information.

Winter Canceled due to El Niño? – Why coast to coast warmth looks likely.

That information did not stop Direct Weather from posting this provocative video to their YouTube channel looking into the effects of El Niño on the North American winter for 2023/2024.

A polar vortex is a large area of low-pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth’s poles. It’s a phenomenon that exists near the poles all year round, but it becomes more defined and expands during the winter months due to the increased temperature contrast between the polar regions and the mid-latitudes (like the United States and Europe).

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

1. Structure and Behavior: The polar vortex is not a single, static storm. Instead, it’s a large, swirling pool of extremely cold air that can have multiple centers. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s typically located over Canada and the Arctic.
2. Winter Influence: During winter, the vortex expands, sending cold air southward with the jet stream. This can result in cold snaps or prolonged periods of low temperatures in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
3. Variability: The strength and position of the polar vortex vary from year to year. When the vortex is strong and stable, it keeps the coldest air locked up in the Arctic. But when it’s weak, which can be influenced by various climatic factors like sea surface temperatures, it can split or be displaced, causing cold Arctic air to spill southward.
4. Climate Change Effects: There’s ongoing research into how climate change is impacting the polar vortex. Some studies suggest that a warming Arctic can lead to a weaker polar vortex, potentially resulting in more frequent cold outbreaks in the mid-latitudes.
5. Not a Storm: It’s important to note that the polar vortex itself is not a storm or a weather front. It’s a broader climatic feature that influences weather patterns.

The polar vortex is a key driver of winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly influencing extreme cold events. Its behavior is complex and influenced by a variety of atmospheric and oceanic conditions.

POW Ponder on Weather also calls out the very low snowpack in North America right now.

In a video titled “AM Mountain Weather Update 12/6,” Chris Tomer, a Colorado meteorologist, provides a seven-day forecast focusing on mountain weather. He highlights two key weather events: the Pacific Northwest flow and an East Coast storm. The Pacific Northwest flow, occurring around December 7-8, is expected to bring moderate snow to Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The East Coast storm, forecasted for around December 10, is predicted to bring widespread snow across the East Coast.

Tomer explains the role of the jet pattern in these weather events, noting that the dip in the jet stream over Wyoming and Colorado will lead to heavier snow accumulation, while conditions over the Ohio Valley, including wind and warm air, will fuel the East Coast storm.

He also discusses the impact of these events on the Northeast, particularly the snow conditions resulting from a cold front. Tomer emphasizes the significance of the rich Pacific Northwest flow impacting Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Colorado from December 7 to 8, and a larger Eastern storm system expected from December 10 to 11, starting with rain in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Tomer advises viewers to stay safe and be prepared for these conditions.