The past several winters have been challenging for Mid-Atlantic skiers. A year ago, January experienced few nights below freezing, severely limiting snowmaking operations at area resorts. On January 26, 2024 - a mid-season day that would normally offer prime skiing conditions - the thermometer climbed to 79 degrees in Washington, D.C. On January 3, 2023, the temperature reached to 70. While some higher-elevation resorts managed to eke out reasonable seasons, on the whole, most local resorts have struggled the past few seasons with very limited windows of snowmaking and virtually no natural snow.

Fortunately, this January looks a bit different.

In early December, 2024, a nice window of below-freezing temperatures allowed Mid-Atlantic resorts to begin laying down the snow. By Christmas, every ski area was open, with reasonable trail counts and decent early season conditions.

A few balmy days in late December may have caused area skiers to worry that this January could be a repeat of recent seasons, but that was before a polar vortex in the Arctic region opened up and allowed frigid air to spill southward into lower latitudes.

A major winter storm is making its way across the United States. Image by the National Weather Service.

This cold air will stick around the Mid-Atlantic for the foreseeable future. While ski resorts are normally happy to have temperatures dip below freezing at night - allowing snowmaking guns to fire up - temperatures during the day at Mid-Atlantic resorts will have trouble climbing above the freezing point for at least the next 10 days. That will permit ample around-the-clock snowmaking to occur. Within days, most ski areas should have virtually all of their terrain open.

But Mother Nature isn’t just delivering the gift of cold air; she’s also bringing some snow. Potentially a lot of it. On Monday, January 6, 2025, the region is expected to see its first major snowstorm in multiple years. Although weather forecasts in the Mid-Atlantic region are always a gamble, meteorologists are expecting the Mid-Atlantic region to receive at least half a foot of snow and possibly more at higher-elevation areas. Snowfall totals will vary depending on the exact track the storm takes.

While the snowstorm may initially make road travel tricky, by the time the storm moves away, it should leave local resorts with the best ski conditions they’ve had in years. And with the forecast of continued cold temperatures, those conditions should stay prime for weeks to come.

Be sure to check out the Winter Driving Tips DCSki shared a year ago if you plan on venturing out onto snowy roads. And after hitting the slopes, please feel free to describe your experience in the DCSki Forum.