Floods in New England Have Shut Down These Ski Resorts

Northeast skiers just haven’t been able to catch a break the last couple of years. During the dry 2022-23 season, meager snowfall delayed openings at ski areas across the region and even forced Vermont’s Mad River Glen to suspend operations for a while in the heart of the ski season. This winter got off to a much stronger start, with cold temperatures making it possible for resorts to start snowmaking and lay a base for lifts to start spinning in November in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

This week, New England’s early season bounty is being literally washed away by heavy rainfall and severe flooding. A number of New England resorts, including Sunday River, Smugglers Notch, and Sugarloaf, had to suspend operations. Jay Peak Resort in Vermont, which is sometimes spared the weather woes that affect the broader region thanks to a snowy microclimate, posted on social media on December 18 that lifts were closed, saying even they “could not escape this sloppy sogfest.”

Of course, Monday’s storm caused damage that extended far beyond the ski hills on the east coast. At least five people were killed by rising water and falling trees when 2-4 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, and many communities will spend the coming months repairing the floodwaters’ destruction.

Even after fresh flakes replace the snow swept away in the deluge, some ski areas will continue to feel the impact of Monday’s storm. It could be days before power is restored everywhere in the region, and it will take time to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by flooding (like this destroyed road to Sugarbush).

The rain has already eased off in most of New England, and slightly colder temperatures are in the forecast for later this week. Longer term, there’s probably more wet weather in store for the northeast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association predicts that this winter will be rainier than usual, with the possibility of more short, intense storms.