Hello, meteorologist Caroline Brown here to say welcome back to the wild weather blog, and welcome to 2023!

I spent New Year’s with my family snowboarding in Telluride, Colorado, which was a perfect way to ring in the New Year filled with the ones I love the most. We were very fortunate to have optimal ski conditions, with a good mixture of fresh powder days and some sunny days as well. In the grand scheme, Colorado has been very lucky to have above-average snow this season, but others across the globe have seen a very unusual ski season. Specifically, the Alps have been dealing with record-setting heat which has melted the snow, and out in California, they have seen record-setting snowfall.

Snow shortage in the Alps:

It has been unseasonably warm in the Alps this year which has caused major problems for those who crave winter sports. Just after ringing in the New Year, Delémont, a northwest Switzerland town, reached 69.6°F (20.9°C) which is the highest temperature ever recorded north of the Alps in January. Some Swiss ski resorts have closed their runs, while others have opted to open summer biking trails instead. One major concern was the Audi FIS Ski World Cup, which took place in Adelboden, Switzerland, last weekend. The race was only able to take place thanks to the help of artificial snow, but as you can see in the video below, the rest of the hill was grass and dirt.

Although the race was able to continue in Switzerland, other venues have not been as lucky. Two World Cup ski races, the men’s downhill and giant slalom, were set to take place in Germany Jan. 28-29, but they have already been canceled due to a lack of snow. Organizers are still trying to find a new venue because all the natural snow from the end of the year has melted due to abnormally warm temperatures. Below you can see folks going down a wet grassy hill in the Austrian Alps.

Intense snowfall in California:

While the Alps have seen a lack of snowfall, the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California has been walloped by snow. A parade of storms has brought snowstorm after snowstorm to the Sierra Nevada mountain range with nearly 18 feet falling in December, a new record. The California snowpack is about double the water content that we would typically see this time of year. Mammoth Mountain in California has already surpassed their snow pack from last year.

Although this has caused some hills to close temporarily, this abundance of snowfall is a really good thing for California. A good portion of the west coast depends on their snowpack for irrigation and drinking water when the spring and summer months come along. This snowpack could end up being a lifesaver if conditions flip and California has another drought stricken, fire prone summer. Melting snow in the warmer months will refill the reservoirs.

The downside to wet weather in California:

While the snowpack is great for the Golden State, they continue to see flooding rainfall and severe weather. As we’ve been reporting since the end of last year, California has been hit by several waves of atmospheric rivers which has produced record setting rainfall. Montecito ordered immediate evacuations due to high water, with homes being flooded and some roads being washed out.

Portions of Ventura County saw over 12″ of rainfall and Los Angeles saw over 3″ of rainfall, which caused widespread problems. This led to flooded homes and vehicles, downed trees which took out power lines, and even a large sinkhole in Chatsworth.

Not only has there been flooding issues, but there has also been severe weather. There were several tornado warnings in Northern California which are extremely uncommon. San Francisco saw an intense hail event as strong thunderstorms moved through the region. There have been thousands of power outages and even damage to buildings as these storms moved through.

These intense storms in California are the result of a parade of pacific atmospheric rivers, which is relentless, abundant moisture flows that moves in and produces heavy rainfall and snowfall. There are still several rounds of precipitation headed to the west coast, but hopefully the snowpack will help them in the warm months to come.

Stay safe always,

Caroline