2026-2027 Record-breaking El Nino

[forkyfork]

how many struggling independent ski resorts is this nino going to put out of business? 

[GaWx]

4 hours ago, forkyfork said:

how many struggling independent ski resorts is this nino going to put out of business? 

The Nino is likely going to greatly help some ski resorts this winter.

[GaWx]

5 hours ago, bluewave said:

The 0-300m ocean heat content is really off the charts.

The warming related to AGW is itself a factor helping to cause 2026-7 to be so much warmer than these prior Ninos since the globe continues to warm. Without that, although 2026-7 would possibly still be the warmest, it at a minimum wouldn’t be as far above these others. In other words, this graph isn’t a fair way to determine the strength of each of these El Niños, themselves, since AGW gives an advantage to later ones.

[michsnowfreak]

2 minutes ago, GaWx said:

The Nino is likely going to greatly help some ski resorts this winter.

Any ski resorts that struggled the last few cold winters in the Great Lakes/Northeast have no business being in business in the first place.

[TriPol]

5 hours ago, MJO812 said:

Mike Masco

THE EARLY WINTER MODEL SIGNALS ARE GETTING VERY INTERESTING...

I know, I know... WAY too early! But we've reached the point in the forecast calendar where I start looking at the broader trends in the CFSv2 to see what type of atmospheric configuration the models are beginning to latch onto.

This is NOT the time to start predicting snowfall totals or declaring the winter warm or cold. Instead, I'm watching three major players at the 500mb and 1000mb levels that could eventually shape how this winter unfolds:

GREENLAND BLOCKING — OR LACK THEREOF

Where does blocking develop, and is it focused west or east of Greenland?

This is one of the biggest variables for the East Coast. A favorable blocking pattern can slow storms near the coast while helping cold Canadian air press south.

This signal often isn't fully realized until we're already entering or exiting a blocking cycle, and its impact will be closely tied to the strength and behavior of the Polar Vortex. This becomes especially important from late December through mid-February.

 THE ALEUTIAN / NORTH PACIFIC PATTERN

I'm watching whether the height field near the Aleutian Islands trends stronger or weaker.

This signal should become much clearer by late November and can have major implications for how much Pacific air floods into the country.

A stronger Pacific influence could overwhelm the northern half of the U.S. with milder-than-normal air — something I'll be watching VERY closely.

THE SUBTROPICAL JET — THE BIG ONE

So far, this has been the most compelling signal and exactly the type of feature you'd expect during an El Niño winter.

You can have all the cold air in the world, but you can't get a snowstorm without moisture.

A juiced-up subtropical jet could provide plenty of storm opportunities this winter. Right now, I think this is the major wildcard for producing some BIG storms, potentially favoring the Ohio Valley into western Pennsylvania, with the strongest signal across the southern U.S.

The million-dollar question for the Northeast:

Can the cold air meet the moisture at the right time? 

That's where Greenland blocking, the Polar Vortex and the Canadian pattern become incredibly important.

Again — this is NOT a winter forecast. It's an early look at the atmospheric players I'm watching as the pieces slowly begin to come together.

Plenty will change between now and December... but the early signals are certainly worth watching. 

If the STJ is amped all we need is a slight collision with the arctic jet and BOOM we have a phased storm which is what provides the most epic blizzards of all time. I think the signal is there for a record setting winter in the NYC area. Please no one weenie tag me.

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

The Nino is likely going to greatly help some ski resorts this winter.

Maybe some of the western resorts with base elevations above 8,000’. East coast base elevations are generally 1500-2000’ and will be overwhelmed with pacific warmth during prime snow making in November and December. The vast majority of revenue is MLK weekend and prior. 2015 provides a perfect case study in what happens when December is +10.


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[Brian5671]

1 hour ago, michsnowfreak said:

Any ski resorts that struggled the last few cold winters in the Great Lakes/Northeast have no business being in business in the first place.

Our local hills had their best year ever last yr and the year prior was a runner up.    Bad years are baked into their business model.

[Brian5671]

26 minutes ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

Maybe some of the western resorts with base elevations above 8,000’. East coast base elevations are generally 1500-2000’ and will be overwhelmed with pacific warmth during prime snow making in November and December. The vast majority of revenue is MLK weekend and prior. 2015 provides a perfect case study in what happens when December is +10.


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Colorado should clean up this year after a disastrous year last yr-never saw it so bad there in over 30 years of going.

[LakePaste25]

there’s quite a few ski resorts out west that are below 7k’ and probably won’t do too well either. The higher up ones will def cash in just like the Andes are in Chile.