Get the powder while the getting is good

Big storm

<i>Across the state on Monday, snowfall at resorts bordered the ridiculous. Here’s what some were reported in the last 48 hours (as of noon on Monday):</i>

Summit County area resorts: 10-20 inches

Vail and Beaver Creek: 20-30 inches

Silverton: 48 inches

Crested Butte: 40 inches

Aspen area: 31-40 inches

Source: Resort websites

SUMMIT COUNTY — While early winter snow has been piling up, the outlook for the latter half of the season is still on the dry side, according to climatologist Klaus Wolter. A dry pattern could return later in January and last through March, said Wolter, a climate researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“This La Niña is behaving a bit more like a typical La Niña, which is good news for the north-central mountains in early winter, mostly December and January,” Wolter said via e-mail. “So I would not be surprised if the next few weeks are still pretty decent (snowy), while late winter is when I expect to see a resumption of the dry pattern last seen in November.”

Wolter said his batting average for forecasting La Niña weather trends is not 100 percent.

“A wet late winter is not impossible, just fairly unlikely,” he said. “One factor in this could be the very strong intra-seasonal activity that brought us all that moisture in early December. I am definitely not equipped to predict those monster storms,” he said. “All in all, I would still say, enjoy while you can,” Wolter concluded.

Area resorts reported between 10 and 20 inches in the last 48 hours.