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Eldora and El Niño

More snow

El Niño winters bring Eldora about 7% more snow than a typical winter.

Based on 14 El Niño winters since 1986: 9 of them beat Eldora's median snowfall. That's a clear, consistent pattern, not just noise. Ranks #21 of 152 Western resorts for El Niño snowfall.

El Niño winters (14) +7% snowfall vs. a typical winter 0.2°C (0.3°F) colder 13 days more of natural ski season
Strong El Niño (4) +8% snowfall vs. a typical winter
La Niña winters (14) −5% snowfall vs. a typical winter About the same temperature 7 days fewer of natural ski season

Checked against a real snow station: at the Lake Eldora SNOTEL station, measured precipitation in El Niño winters ran +6% vs. its average (48 winters of measurements).

Every winter since 1986

Snowfall each winter compared with Eldora's 40-winter average, colored by what the Pacific was doing.

El Niño La Niña Neutral

Mid-mountain, November–April. Any single winter can buck the pattern; that's why we look at averages.

Right now NOAA's latest Oceanic Niño Index reading (Jun–Aug 2026) is +1.8°C: strong El Niño conditions. NOAA's outlook says how long it's expected to last.
El Niño speaks Hear what's in store from El Niño himself.

← All resorts: El Niño map & rankings Eldora climate change profile →