Early season snowpack left much to be desired

As children awaited the arrival of Santa Claus, Mount Hood ski resorts and hydrologists alike were hoping and waiting for the arrival of the next big winter storm. 

As of Dec. 15, Timberline Lodge, Meadows, and SkiBowl were all still waiting for enough snow to open, and USDA supervisory hydrologist Matt Warbritton and his team were likewise looking for some lower temperatures and wintery precipitation to hit the Hood, Sandy, and Lower Deschutes region (and other parts of the state). 

Early season snowpack readings showed a drastic difference compared to the same time in 2024. While the snow water equivalent measurements were around 104% of normal the year previous, as of Dec. 15, the region’s measurements were at a concerning 2% of normal, keeping consistent with the warmer, drier conditions around the state. 

Even the higher altitude SNOTEL sites on Mount Hood, some as high up as 5,400 feet, are showing “pretty poor” snow accumulation, Warbritton said. 

“November was pretty warm,” he explained. “And the latest storm we had (the atmospheric river that hit in early December) was also warmer. Temperatures in this area have been pretty detrimental to snow accumulation.”

The water year to date readings in the region seemed to be fairing a bit better, with numbers around 110% in the Hood region (the best in the state at the time). But that precipitation alone would not keep the region from experiencing drought in the summer without the proper snowpack reserves. 

Despite the picturesque snowcapped look of Mount Hood in the early season, the type of snow is what matters. And the mountain simply hadn’t experienced enough water-dense snow accumulation by mid-December. 

Some SNOTEL sites in the region are actually showing period record lows for snowpack, and a similar trend is occurring across the state with the lowest snowpack on record for this time of year since 2015.