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Colorado ski resort forced to close until it receives more snow

Colorado ski resort forced to close until it receives more snow.
Screen grab of the closure message posted on the Hesperus Ski Area website.

Waiting for snow, that's what a lot of ski resorts in Colorado have been doing all winter season, and now one of them has to close because it's still waiting.

Hesperus Ski Area, which is down south near Durango, has suspended its winter operations until further notice.

Its website says just that as they wait for snow. The site advises its riders to watch the snow report for updates. The resort has not seen any new snow in the last 48 hours and it's only received 33 inches total for this season.

Screen grab of the closure message posted on the Hesperus Ski Area website.

The lack of snow could mean an early end to the season at Hesperus. The resort, which relies on natural snow, was planning to stay open until April first.

Hesperus isn't the only resort struggling through the season because of the unusually warm and dry winter.

Powderhorn Ski Resort had to temporarily scale back its operations because it needed more snow. Good news though, Powderhorn resumed its normal, seven-days-a-week operations on February 22.

The Flat Top and Easy Rider lifts are open seven days a week. The West End Lift is open Thursday through Sundays.

The La Niña weather pattern we're seeing this winter can be blamed for the lack of snow down south.

According to 9NEWS meteorologist Kathy Sabine, because of the La Niña pattern, the polar jets are active this winter creating storms in the north that are rolling southeast through Colorado - missing the Durango area.

The snowpack there is about half of what it should be at this time.

Colorado SNOTEL Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) Update Map from the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

That being said, March and April tend to be Colorado's snowiest months so there is still lingering hope for more snow before the ski season is over.

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