Ski areas across Western Montana are wishing for a Christmas miracle as the winter’s busiest week on the slopes approaches without much of the white stuff piled up, forcing some areas to change operations or postpone season openings until Mother Nature cooperates.

Skiers at Whitefish Mountain Resort over the weekend enjoyed sunny and warm conditions as Big Mountain stood above an inversion that periodically socked in the Flathead Valley.

The resort was offering limited terrain on its front-side and lower slopes due to scarce snow coverage. Snow reporters on Monday urged skiers to use Chair 1 to download from the summit as conditions on Russ’s Street — the only slope available to the base area — worsened over the weekend.

“While Russ's Street remains open for downhill traffic, we can't quite recommend it at this time,” the Monday snow report suggested. “A lack of snowfall over the past week has taken its toll on that run, especially at lower elevations. Hazards abound, including grooming irregularities and lots of twigs and vegetation that can easily snag your edges. Some sections are so bumpy we can't get a grooming machine over them.”

Snow-making machines were in position Sunday along the popular Toni Matt slope, but warm temperatures kept them silent during the day.

The resort reported a 36-inch base on Big Mountain’s summit with 11 inches at the base area.

To the south, Blacktail Mountain Ski Area above Lakeside hasn’t opened yet for the winter due to low snow coverage. The same was true for Turner Mountain north of Libby, which last weekend postponed its opening until conditions improved.

Meanwhile, Montana Snowbowl in Missoula held a partial opening for three hours on Sunday with terrain accessed only by a lower-mountain rope tow.

Conditions were better at Lookout Pass. The ski area just off I-90 on the Montana-Idaho border had 32 trails open with a 32-inch base on the summit.

Weather stations on Monday showed mountain snowpack across the entire Northern Rockies region trending well below average for late December. Snow coverage in Glacier National Park was about 81% of normal and the Swan Range was at 80%. The Flathead Valley had about 66% of its normal snow coverage. Kalispell has only recorded 4.3 inches of snow for the month.

The conditions were more dire to the south, with the mountains along the Montana-Idaho border west of Missoula at 53% of normal and the Bitterroot at 67%. Bozeman’s mountain snowpack was in a similar state at 65% of normal.

Travis Booth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula, said the dry winter could be chalked up to the effect of El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean. Warm ocean temperatures have altered the route of the jet stream that ushers in storm systems.

What’s more, precipitation that has fallen over Western Montana has been a mix of rain and snow, and there haven’t been any major Arctic cold fronts through December that generally produce valley snow.

“We really haven’t gotten into that true winter pattern,” Booth said.

But hope remains.

Santa could deliver an early Christmas surprise next weekend as a pesky ridge of high pressure finally breaks down. 

Tuesday and Wednesday will bring mixed precipitation with snow levels near 6,000 feet, however, models suggest a cold front moving over the region by Friday that could lower snow levels to the valley floor.

Booth said the valleys have a 40-50% chance of accumulating snowfall, generally less than an inch.

“But with Christmas on Monday, there’s always the question of will [the snow] last,” he said. 

High temperatures Sunday are expected to be in the low 30s.

Mountain passes could receive more substantial totals over the weekend, with one aggressive prediction showing 5-10 inches of snow in the mountains.

“There could be travel impacts,” Booth warned folks who are planning to commute for Christmas.

Western Montana valleys typically hold a blanket of snow by the end of December. According to AccuWeather, the historical probability of a white Christmas for the region is over 75%.