Have you ever wondered where the snowiest place on Earth is? To be more precise, where in the world receives the most snowfall each winter? The Arctic, Greenland, and Antarctica are often portrayed as extremely cold, dark, snowy, and icy places, but they actually receive relatively little snowfall. The Arctic is sea ice and surrounded by land, so there is a deficiency in atmospheric moisture, and as mentioned in an earlier blog post, Antarctica is actually a cold desert. Mountain ranges such as the Alps, Himalayas, and Rockies seem to always be covered in deep snow, and high elevation areas in Alaska and Japan also receive prodigious amounts of snowfall every year. However, we do not have measurements of snowfall or snow depth for more remote regions, so there is no way to tell where on Earth truly receives the most snowfall on a seasonal or yearly basis. Officially though, Mount Baker Ski Resort in Washington State holds the world record for the greatest recorded seasonal snowfall, at an astounding 1,140 inches during the winter of 1998-1999.

Mt. Baker, Washington on April 17, 1999

To put that number in perspective, 1,140 inches is equivalent to 95 feet, which would bury most residence halls here at Penn State, and it would take nearly 25 years of average annual snowfall (46 inches per year) in State College to reach that number! While the length of a season of snowfall varies, the 1998-1999 season at Mount Baker Ski Resort was a full year (July 1 to July 1), although the bulk of the snow obviously fell during the winter months. In a report by resort employees, 19.5 feet (234 inches) of snow fell in a two-week time span from January 28 to February 11, 1999, and there were only two days in February when it didn’t snow! The National Climate Extremes Committee deemed that the figure of 1,140 inches was accurate since it met the standards and practices of the National Weather Service, but the number might have been a bit off due to the propensity for snow to melt and drift.

Mt. Baker Ski Resort monthly snowfall and snow depth from 1998-1999

So what caused that exceedingly high amount of snowfall? Considering that the previous record was 1,122 inches, set during the 1971-1972 season at Paradise, Mt. Rainier (also in Washington), Mt. Baker is located in a climatically snowy region. Also, the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula, one of the wettest locations in North America, is not far from Mt. Baker. The proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the westerly flow of the North Pacific Jet Stream certainly contribute to the abundance of precipitation in the Pacific Northwest. At around 4,200 feet elevation and a bit northeast of the Olympics, Mt. Baker Ski Resort is at a perfect altitude and latitude (not in the Olympic Rain Shadow) for moisture-laden air to condense and turn into precipitation after orographic lifting. During the winter of 1998-1999, freezing levels were abnormally and consistently low, so just about all the precipitation that fell was in the form of snow.

Elevation profile of Washington State

Furthermore, there was a fairly strong La Nina that season, which corresponds to wetter and colder than normal conditions in the Pacific Northwest. In case you aren’t familiar with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), it essentially involves fluctuations in ocean temperatures at the equatorial Pacific. During an El Nino, the eastern Pacific is warmer than the western Pacific, and during a La Nina, the eastern Pacific is cooler. There are also neutral years, and the ocean temperatures dramatically fluctuate every year or every few years. As a result of what meteorologists call “teleconnections,” other climates around the world are affected.

The Oceanic Nino Index (ONI) produced by the National Center for Atmospheric Research

Although I was too young to recall the event and did not live in Washington anyway at the time, I have heard many locals recount the record-breaking season of snowfall. Although the Cascade Mountains are not the coldest or highest mountains in the world, they are very close to the ocean and in the path of predominant westerly winds, which makes all the difference when it comes to snowfall amounts. The Cascade Mountains has a unique and profound climate and geography, with beautiful scenery, lush forests, and glaciers that never completely melt, so if you’ve never visited the Cascades, I would highly recommend it.

9 thoughts on “Mount Baker Record Seasonal Snowfall”

  1. Ben,

    A record 1,140 inches of snow is almost incomprehensible to me. I find it extremely difficult to translate inches of precipitation into a concrete measurement. Although I have grown up in a region that received a moderate amount of snowfall–Horsham Pennsylvania–I have never experienced snowfall in any quantity approaching anything near the daily amounts on Mt. Baker. The post also left me with a question: how extraordinary was that year of snowfall? Are there other winters with slightly less numbers? I would assume that the conditions on the mountain allow for a longer snowfall season than other regions. Yet, with most of the precipitation coming during the winter, I can only imagine the depth of the snow at any one period in time.

    Sean

  2. Ben,
    Wow, I thought PA winters were bad! That truly is a huge amount of snow, I really think I will be opting out of ever living near Mount Baker after hearing this. Like you mentioned I was one of those people who always assumed that antarctica or the himalayas were areas that would have the most snowfall, so it was really interesting to find that they are not nearly as susceptible to precipitation as Washington State. I also was not aware of the difference between El Nino and La Nina, I think that is both a little comical but very fascinating. Cool post!

    Lexi

  3. Cool post Ben! I am a former PSU grad (We Are…) and now live in Bellingham, WA. I moved to the PNW just to ski Mt Baker and can confirm the amazing snowfall we receive. La Nina is rolling in again and we might see 36″+ in 24 hours. I worked several seasons for the Dept of Transportation crew on the road to the ski area and say with certainty, there is no place like Mt. Baker… LET IT SNOW!!!

    1. Hey, good to hear! It’s been years since I’ve been to Mt. Baker, but I might go there to ski this winter (and marvel at the abundance of snow). The Olympic Mountains also get prodigious snowfall, a great place for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Apparently, the lowlands have already got some accumulating snow, while the Cascades are getting hammered by relentless Pacific storms. Here in State College, we are still waiting for our first “snowstorm.”

  4. I am from the area and snowboarded that year it was insane and awesome. I was pretty young but it was still cool. Good article.

    1. Thanks for sharing! Sounds like it was, indeed, a historic winter, considering that you remember that far back!

  5. I live in Bellingham, which is very near baker, sadly since then there hasn’t been tons of snow. Still many feet, but the best year recently was 2011

  6. I am an NW weather forecaster and avid NW skier. I skied Baker and other many ski areas that year.
    Yes we had a La Nina and we always have great snowpack during La Nina, but why was Mt Baker the record holder? Many ski areas in the region have higher elevations (Whistler & Crystal) or better proximity to the moist ocean air (Mt Washington ski area, Van Island, BC). All were affected with prolific snowfall that year, but Mt Baker was extraordinary. I have unofficial reports from sw BC (Cypress) and Vancouver Island ski areas with possible amounts as high, but not good record keepers – so not considered for the record.
    The reason for the high snowfall that year was: optimum location for snowfall from storm track (that year) when things really got cookin from late Jan- Feb – that is the time period which really broke the record. Mt Baker’s average snowfall is the highest of any ski on earth area at over 615″ per season – so normal for them is impressive. Also, Mt Baker ski area is not exactly on Mt Baker but in a saddle between Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan and may benefit from lee side convergence snowfall. Also on a slightly larger scale, the ski area is on a col at the headwaters of the Baker river drainage from the south and Nooksack drainage from the west. I believe these two physical drainages force incoming moist air to converge with additional snowfall right over the ski area. This may be why Baker has more snowfall that year and in a typical year.

  7. We had our annual Youth Group Ski trip to the Firs Lodge up at Baker that year and the snowfall was epic! Some of our students skied right out of their windows and off the 2nd floor balcony! What fabulous memories!

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