Northern Hemisphere Weekly Snow News #329
Weekly Snow News for Northern Hemisphere, updated 27 August 2026: Alpine glaciers see light 10cm (4") top-ups and welcome sub-freezing nights, though ski areas remain closed.
- Alps: High-elevation glaciers got light snow, but warm weather keeps key resorts closed.
- Scandinavia: Norway’s Galdhøpiggen remains shut until late September.
- North America: Outdoor skiing is closed, though resorts are prepping for early-fall snowmaking.
- Global Options: Outdoor skiing is limited strictly to indoor snow centers and dry slopes.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE REPORT
Light snowfall returned to higher Alpine slopes this week, mainly above 3,500 m, while lower elevations saw rain. Around 10cm (4”) accumulations were reported on glaciers in Austria, France (Les 2 Alpes), Italy (Plateau Rosa above Cervinia) and Switzerland at the end of last week, and there have been similar falls over the last few days too.
It’s not yet enough to allow the temporarily closed glacier ski areas at Passo Stelvio, Saas‑Fee or Zermatt to resume operations, but the shift back toward sub‑freezing nights has been widely welcomed after months of unusually high freezing levels, generally remaining above 4,000 m and the level of most skiable glaciers. With overnight lows now dropping back below zero Celsius above 3,000m, glaciers are once again experiencing a regular freeze–thaw cycle, something not seen since spring in many regions.
Norway’s Galdhøpiggen, Scandinavia’s only summer ski centre, also remains shut as part of its now familiar operating rhythm, with reopening expected for the latter half of September.
There’s currently no outdoor lift-served areas open anywhere in North America, except for those with dryland slope set ups including the park set up at Ski Ward in Massachusetts and dry slope centres like the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Sky Tavern ski area in Nevada used a TechnoAlpin SnowFactory to make some snow in summer at the weekend, but it was just used for ‘snow play’ rather than sliding. Regular resorts have notably stepped-up pre-season marketing, many focused on the hoped-for abundant snowfall from the so-called 'Super El Niño' without focusing too hard on the small print about which areas are most likely to benefit, and which are likely to see a below-average winter for snow. The first resorts expect to open in about two months. Loveland in Colorado posted this week that it expects to start snowmaking in less than 40 days.
For the moment, lift‑served skiing in the northern hemisphere is limited to indoor centres. Around 150 indoor snow facilities across more than 30 countries continue to offer year‑round skiing and boarding. Hundreds of dry slopes and ski conveyors provide further options to keep skiing and boarding whatever the weather in an even wider range of nations.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE FORECAST
Back to a warm, stable late‑summer pattern dominating the upper Alps, with the freezing point frequently rising above 4000 m, keeping most high‑alpine terrain in milder conditions unfortunately. Mostly sunny skies are forecast with strong daytime warming. Overnight lows may get just below freezing only on the highest glaciers, limiting any meaningful refreeze. Visibility stays excellent, winds generally light, and no significant snowfall is indicated.
