There's no doubt that the week started out on a low note, a very low note. The rain was brutal at all but the most western reaches of the region (who then received some snow). Many ski areas closed Tuesday to recover, some also closed Wednesday, and Sunday River suffered some extensive damage from washouts as well as minor flood damage to some of their facilities but they are opening back up Saturday with some limitations. We also unfortunately received word that Big Moose (formerly Big Squaw) in Maine lost their retention pond dam and their ability to make snow for at least the time being. Natural snow terrain was wiped out across the Northeast in one fail swoop, though there's some depth left up north at higher altitudes which is surely frozen solid. Some ski areas who were working on opening were set back almost to ground zero.
The cold temperatures did return behind the last storm and they have persisted widely. While it has taken days just to recover existing terrain after a slow start, overall we will see more acreage this weekend than we did last weekend. December is almost always a month where temperatures matter far more than natural snow in the Northeast and the last 4 days proves that. Ski areas have been recovering terrain, resurfacing, and adding new terrain for the holiday week.
While everyone who had been open will be back open as of Saturday as well as some others (PA, NJ, and Southern New England is coming on strong), do keep in mind that there was flooding and road damage across many parts of the Northeast, especially in the ADKs, Northern Greens, Whites, and Longfellows. Most state highways will be open, but road repairs are temporary in many cases, there is still power out in some areas, and the Town of Bethel, ME has now also lost their water supply. If you are traveling to these areas bring a full tank of gas and also some food and beverages just to help take some stress off of their gas stations and grocery stores, though don't hold back on on visiting their open establishments, they need your business now more than ever.
The weather this weekend across the Northeast isn't super complex, but we do have some light rain and snow showers passing through on both Saturday and Sunday, and comfortable temperatures. We'll cover that as well as our expectations for conditions and traffic.
