Don't F with El Nino: winter 2023-24 forecast, updated

It was a love for winter weather that actually inspired Tyler Hamilton to become a meteorologist with The Weather Network.

Growing up on Vancouver Island, those Pacific storms captivated his imagination, and as a skier/snowboarder, he saw how they could deliver massive powder days. (You can hear his enthusiasm in the video below, quoting the epic 2010 season at Mount Washington.)

We tapped Tyler for his take on what’s up with winter 2023-24 and what might lie ahead. Watch this video for our chat.

Spoiler: partway through our conversation, Hamilton teased the prospect of a return to the more typical storm track we see in Western Canada into the new year.

Here's a look at some of his key points, for 2024 winter weather.

Key takeaways for the 2023-24 ski season

1. Freezing levels will be critical; if freezing levels rise too high, it can turn snow at higher elevations into rain. This will be influenced by the polar vortex, El Nino and the jet streams intermittently. (Watch the video for Hamilton’s explanation of these features).
2. A return to closer to average snowfall and temperatures should come in the latter half of December and into the new year; but expect a warmer, drier year overall.
3. We haven’t seen an El Nino year in a while, and while it doesn’t always mean dry (there were some good days in 2015-16, during the last El Nino cycle), we should expect warmer, drier conditions to continue for the time being.

As the saying goes, you can’t control the weather. But we can make the best of it. If the forecast holds, our best strategy will be to enjoy the generally safer driving conditions, the balmy ski days and time outside with friends.

Watch for those pow days (they may still come) but accept that there may be fewer of them this season. Which just means, as Hamilton highlights in our chat, watching the weather closely so you’re poised to take advantage of them when they come.

Latest weather trends

#DYK: did you know, in addition to our regular snow conditions reports keeping you updated on the latest snowfall across Alberta and BC resorts, we have now integrated weather forecasting into our individual resort pages?

Check it out, go visit your favourite resort from our Destinations page and check out the current weather and 24h snow report, and then click into “Conditions” for the complete snowfall report—24h, 48h, 7-day, total snowfall and base snow pack—and the 3-day forecast.

And of course, tune in to our friends at The Weather Network to watch for those storms as they arise. (You can see the complete The Weather Network long range winter forecast here.)

One more thing: when you’re out there, remember to do what you can to reduce your impacts on our climate. This Protect Our Winters (POW) slogan sums it up nicely:

“lower emissions, blower conditions”

POW, the climate action organization inspired by skiers and snowboarders, has taken up the mission to protect our winters as best we can by inspiring environmental action.

If you’re reading this, and you love to ski, snowboard or just straight up care about the earth, nature and our existence within it, learn what you can do to lower your emissions and join in advocating for environmentally sound policy. Because we all want blower conditions now and for the future.