December 2023 was one of the least snowy ever for Watertown

Jan. 6—WATERTOWN — Data from the National Weather Service in Buffalo shows that December 2023 was one for the record books.

Watertown saw just 1.8 inches of snow, one of the lowest totals ever seen in a December since the National Weather Service started tracking the data in the late 1800s.

In fact, it is the lowest amount of snow recorded for a December as some years had no snow data.

The second-least snowy December was 1911 with just two inches of snow.

There is no snow data for the following Decembers: 2006; 1964; 1952; 1902; and 1894, so it is possible that in those years Watertown saw less snow, but there is no data on the National Weather Service's website.

Dry Hill Ski Area in Watertown is hoping to rebound after a slow start to the 2023-2024 skiing season.

Owner Boo Wells said Thursday that they have been open for just four days this season, down from 14 days the previous season.

Typically, they would've been open during the school's vacation week, which would have resulted in an additional five days or so of being open for business.

"We're not really far off. It just feels frustrating because we're in January," she said.

She described the winter as being "very frustrating."

"We want to make the hill available to our season pass holders and the community," she said. "Part of the mission statement is to get every kid in Jefferson County the opportunity to experience skiing or snowboarding and we haven't been able to do that this year. So we're really trying to make up for lost time."

On Saturday, Dry Hill will be open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. and from 10 to 6 on Sunday.

Wells hopes that next week they will be able to go back to their normal seasonal hours.

Music is offered on Friday and Saturday nights. There will also be a military appreciation day on Jan. 12.

They are also partnering with local school districts such as Watertown City School District, Sandy Creek, Hammond, and South Jefferson school districts to come up and have students experience what Dry Hill has to offer.

"It's really kind of exciting," she said.

Lack of snow isn't the only issue plaguing Dry Hill Ski Area this year. It's also above-average temperatures.

The average high in Watertown, according to the National Weather Service, in December was 40.3 degrees while the low was 28.7 degrees, making it the warmest December since 2015.

A normal high temperature in December is typically 34.9 degrees, and the low is usually 19.7 degrees.

Wells said they need the temperatures to be at a minimum of 28 degrees to make snow. There were just 13 days of the low being less than 29 degrees in December.

"Ten degrees and below is optimum because we can make more snow the colder it is," she said. "But we have to have a minimum of 27, 29 degrees to make snow."

There were no days in December where the low was less than 10 degrees, data from the National Weather Service shows.

The days they are open are extremely important, Wells said.

"Not only for us financially, but we owe it to our season pass holders to give them the opportunity to get up here and ski and have fun with their kids. We owe it to the community and the school groups to get up here and get to experience skiing and snowboarding. It's why we're here," she said.

Despite the weather, Wells said they have been signing people up regularly for their season pass.

"There's been a lot of new season pass holders this year. I know that much and that's really exciting for all of us," she said.

She said that although they haven't turned a profit yet this season, if they do make some money, it will go right back into the Ski Area to make it better for years to come.

This year they are using new snow guns, they replaced many underground snowmaking lines, the cable on the tubing lift was also replaced, and the cable had to be shortened on the chair lift, among other improvements.

The goal, Wells said, is to turn a profit to be able to reinvest into the ski area with items such as a new snowcat, more snowmaking, replacing lines and adding more lights.

"There's so many things we want to do," she said.

She said they are doing "everything (they) can to make it a really fun family place to be."

"We are offering music and great healthy food," she said. "Our ski instructors and snowboard instructors are amazing. We're trying to get as many people as we can to experience skiing and snowboarding. The goal is to make the community feel welcome and let them enjoy this asset that's right in their own backyard."