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Whistler Blackcomb beats seasonal average for snowfall

More than 1,025 centimetres fall last Thursday

With three months of winter remaining, last week Whistler Blackcomb surpassed the resort's seasonal average for snowfall with more than 1,025 cm (10 metres) or 404 inches (33 feet) of snow falling by the end of the day on Thursday, Feb. 17. Between Saturday and Thursday, some 184 cm of snow fell.

That mark was surpassed again overnight with another 21 cm on Friday morning, then another 6 cm on Monday to pass the 10.5 metre mark.

The month will end dry as a high-pressure system and colder temperatures move in, with a forecasted low of -20 C on Thursday. However, the wet weather is expected to return the following week as another system moves through the area.

The 2009-2010 season was the second-snowiest on record, with 1,432 cm. The record is 1,693 cm, set during the 1998-1999 season. With two months of winter remaining and another month of spring skiing, Whistler Blackcomb could break either record.

Working for the resort this year is La Nina, a weather phenomenon that usually means colder and wetter conditions for coastal British Columbia. The 1998-1999 season was a La Nina year, for example.

Despite all the recent snowfall - over two metres in a week - the avalanche conditions for the Whistler area are Low to Moderate, with some Considerable ratings for the Duffy Lake area.

The highway has also been in good shape, with only a few accidents reported for Highway 99 and on Whistler roads.