El Niño Outlook · Winter 2026-27
Alta El Niño rank & forecast
Alta ranks #48 of 488 SnowSure resorts — Tier A, +12% in strong El Niño winters.
Tier A — Prime El Niño terrain: Historically snowed much more than normal in strong El Niño winters (≥ +8% vs this resort’s own 30-year average).
#48 of 488Tier A — Prime El Niño terrain
Strong-event signal: +12% vs this resort's 30-yr avg
In the three strongest El Niño winters on record ('97-98, '15-16, '23-24), Alta averaged +12% versus its own 30-year snowfall baseline — one of the strongest positive El Niño signals we track. With NOAA forecasting a potentially record event for winter 2026-27, history says this is the winter to book Alta with confidence. Individual analog winters: '97-98 -13%, '15-16 -31%, '23-24 +80%. A lean, not a law — but the lean is firmly up.
'97-98 −13%'15-16 −31%'23-24 +80%
