This morning’s snow storm may have caught many by surprise, but for area ski resorts, the surprise was definitely a pleasant one.

Blizzard conditions at Snowshoe drop 20” of new snow. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

A cold front entered the area on Wednesday evening, generating unsettled weather conditions throughout the region. Lightning bolts crackled above the nation’s capital, as strong wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour toppled some trees. The unusual weather resulted in an early closing for the Whitetail Ski Resort, which decided to shut down the lifts at 5 p.m. due to electrical storms.

As temperatures dropped, the rain changed over to snow, with significant accumulations in areas to the west. The snowfall subsided Thursday morning in the Baltimore region, and ended in western regions by early afternoon. West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort saw a total of 20 inches of snowfall between Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon, on top of 16 inches received this past Monday. The three feet of snow in less than a week has boosted Snowshoe’s base depth to 56-90 inches, which should comfortably last until Snowshoe’s slated April 11 closing date.

Maryland’s Wisp resort also received heavy snowfall, finding a foot of new snow when the storm was over. Conditions at Wisp are packed powder with a base depth of 24-38 inches.

Although local resorts welcomed the natural snowfall, they were less appreciative of the strong winds that accompanied the storm. Strong wind gusts forced the closure or late opening of numerous chairlifts at resorts including Ski Liberty, Snowshoe, and Whitetail. By Thursday evening, the strong winds had subsided.

Although West Virginia resorts received the heaviest snowfall, resorts further east were not left out. Seven Springs and Hidden Valley both received 16-18 inches of new snow, while Whitetail received half a foot. Liberty and Roundtop both received 4 inches of fresh powder. To the south, Virginia’s Massanutten Resort measured 2 inches of natural snow.

With the fresh snow and cold temperatures, this weekend could offer some great March skiing conditions. There is a possibility of precipitation on Saturday and Sunday, which may be in the form of snow. Temperatures should drop low enough early next week for nighttime snowmaking operations to resume.