PORT ANGELES — Below-average snowfall means winter sports at Hurricane Ridge haven’t been able to start for the season.
The Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area needs a minimum of three feet of snow before it can be opened for operations but the most snow that’s fallen this year is less than a foot.
“It’s not uncommon, I’ve seen this happen before, we’re not concerned,” said Danielle Lawrence, a volunteer with the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the ski area.
“Many seasons where we were slated to operate at the beginning of December and were late to start,” Lawrence said. “We are all ready to go. All we need is the snow to show up.”
People seem less enthusiastic about purchasing ski area passes this year, Lawrence said, but she expects the season to pick up by mid-January.
The foundation will be printing and selling ski passes at the North by Northwest by Northwest Surf Co. at 902 S. Lincoln Street on Thursday between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., Lawrence said. Passes also can be purchased online.
According to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Services, about 4 inches of snow was measured at Hurricane Ridge on Friday. That’s about 27 percent of normal snow water equivalent.
Heavy snowfall earlier this month was quickly followed by warmer fronts that brought rain even at higher elevations, and that’s a pattern that’s expected to continue.
Hurricane Ridge is 17 miles south of Port Angeles at an elevation of 5,424 feet.
Weather permitting, Hurricane Ridge Road is open to the public between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday and some holiday Mondays, although it will be closed on Christmas Day.
All vehicles, including four-wheel drive, are required to carry tire chains.
The forecast looks to be pretty consistent and likely to continue,” said Matthew Cullen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
One reason for that is this is what’s known as an “El Niño” year, referring to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. El Niño — Spanish for “the boy” — refers to the temperature of the water in the Pacific Ocean near the equator. During El Niño years, the Pacific jet stream moves south leading to wetter conditions across the Southern U.S. and warmer and drier conditions in the North.
“El Niño is expected to remain fairly strong through the winter,” Cullen said. “On the whole that does favor warmer conditions.”
Conversely, last year was the opposite of the El Niño phenomenon, La Niña, or “the girl,” which brought colder conditions to the northern U.S.
The NWS is forecasting partially sunny skies on Saturday but rain for Sunday and Monday — Christmas Day — and a mix of snow and rain for Hurricane Ridge.
After a fire burned down the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge in May, many residents were concerned the area might be closed through the winter. Olympic National Park has installed heated bathrooms and a visitor contact station at the ridge, but parking capacity remains limited.
The loss of the visitor lodge also means there are no warming facilities or food services at the ridge and visitors should expect to use their cars as warming areas, ONP said. There is no potable water available at the ridge.
Up-to-date road conditions can be found at Olympic National Park’s Alerts and Conditions webpage at https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/hurricane-ridge-in-winter.htm or by calling 360-565-3131.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
