The updated winter outlook from Accuweather doesn't look too great:

"Unlike last winter, when the AccuWeather.com forecast indicated that the warmth of December and early January would turn on a dime, when the warmth returns this December it may last all of the way through February. In fact, in some places, the wildest weather may be during the next three or four weeks, and then again in March or April as a late spring may be in the making for much of the East."

Has anyone seen a more optimistic view?

Not a good first post to make on DCSki..... Unfortunatley that is kinda what I have been hearing too. I am optimistic like others and hope it is wrong though!!! BTW, welcome to DCSki!!

I'll believe those long range forecasts when i see it or when they are more than like 2% accurate.

Looks to me like good snowmaking conditions in our region for the next week or two after Thanksgiving Day.

It's going to be terrible. Yup. Sell us all your skis at fire sale prices.

'Crackuweather' is often a little suspect (IMHO, at least). Your best bet is to register for access at EasternusWX.com (I and a few others here have done that); lurk there and soak up some knowledge (while enjoying a good Winter Beer, of course). Most of what I read there is over my head, but you can certainly gain some insight.

Do that for awhile, and before you know it, there'll be snow on the ground and you'll be skiing/boarding.

How do you feel about the snowmaking ponds at Blue Knob?

Good. I wasn't the only person to think this!

That's not you is it MM?

Im not buying into any long range predictions. mother nature is not an exact science, so no use in beating your heads against the wall wondering what might happen. Ill take whatever comes, and it usually does one way or another. especially along the Allegheny front ala lake effect. let it snow, let it snow, let it eff'n snow!!

No kidding, the weather guys around here can barely get a 3 day forecast right and now you want me to believe their 180 day forecast?

Awlrighty, It's going to be so bad this winter that they won't have to cut any more of those stunted growth oaks for firewood this season at bk, i'm turning in my season pass at tline for a winter pass at Oglebay's trent jones course and putting golf balls on my Christmas list. Just scheduled a scuba trip to deep creek lake for mid february.

There are some (ok one) meteorologists that I pay attention to. I like this one because he explains why he is predicting what he is predicting and then immediately explains the many ways he could be wrong. I like him so much I actually pay to have access to his forecasts (most of you probably know whom I'm talking about). He is predicting warm from mid-Jan to mid-Feb as well.

The thing that cracks me up about these threads is that they only show up to challenge the predictions when the forecast says 'warmer than normal'. All anybody ever says when they predict 'colder than normal' is "Rock on"

Clay

And are these the same guys that said this would be a catastrophic hurricane season for the US and it turns out - that just like the last several - that the longterm forecasts have been complete flops?

All Winters are bad. A good winter would get cold (and stay cold) in September and end about June.

I think some people were cautioning last winter- when Accuweather was forecasting a cold one- to take it with a grain of salt. Generally I find accuweather a nice wish/fantasy page (they always seemed to forecast snow for Blacksburg in the 10-15 day range, starting in late October and continuing to late March), the kind of page we all wished would come true but no better, and little else.

Forget it. This winter is DOOMED. The el-nino pattern WILL produce higher then normal temps and LOWER then normal precipitation. Couple this with the green house gasses, from SUV's and the EXTENSIVE logging that has occured, and you CAN pretty much write off THIS season.

now THAT'S funny i wonder IF he STILL LURKS here or has he taken a SUEDO-NAME?

You could always start a thread about how wonderful BK is and find out! Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

Ullr and all the other nay sayers:
There is no such thing as a bad winter as long as we get some snow, enough cold to make snow, and have trails to ski. As a skier, I'll take a bad winter over an extended summer. Sure some are forecasting that mid winter might be a bit warmer than normal, but that is mid winter when the lows at the WVAlpps are so low that it will not cause the kind of problems that a mild late or early winter can cause. I am excited about taking my chances and skiing 25+ days this winter.
The Colonel

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Colonel,

I think you totally missed the point of MY post.

Funny stuff guys...

jimmybob, I hafta skiwifya sumtime.

Maybe this will help....67 degrees is the forcast for tomorrow......

That's the same weather that just rolled through KC. It was 75 yesterday. We have snow showers today. Bear with it, the cold stuff wraps in behind this one VERY nicely.

Please tell it to HURRY!!! It is 60 right now at 9:40 am. Atleast it won't be too cold while deep frying turkeys for half of the day.

I'm flying back to BWI today and bringing it with me as an early Christmas gift.