Ski Report

Buck Hill Ski Area snow report

Iowa, United States Apple Valley
⚠ Extreme Heat Warning · Extreme Heat Warning issued July 13 at 1:50AM CDT until July 16 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
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Right now · nearest snotel
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As of 2026-07-11
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Air temp
67°F
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Buck Hill Ski Area -- Iowa ski resort
Buck Hill Ski Area Iowa · Apple Valley
About this resort

Buck Hill Ski Area

Buck Hill Ski Area is a popular ski resort in Minnesota with 16 slopes and 10 lifts. Best trails include Jack Frost, a black diamond run, and Dynamite, a challenging run with moguls. An interesting historical fact is that Buck Hill was the training ground for Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. For beginner skiers, the Learning Hill is a great place to start with gentle slopes and dedicated instructors. The best après ski bar is the Fireside Lounge, with a cozy fireplace and a wide selection of drinks and snacks. Buck Hill Ski Area offers a great skiing experience for all levels of skiers with interesting history and great amenities for post-ski relaxation.

Terrain mix: Buck Hill Ski Area in Minnesota is located in the Mississippi River Valley and does not have any significant mountain ranges or large mountain aspects. The ski resort features mostly gentle hills and slopes for skiing and snowboarding. It is known for being a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts in the region.

StateIowa
LocationApple Valley
Lifts11
Runs16
Opened1954
Terrain parkYes
Night skiingYes
Detailed forecast

Plan your day down to the hour

Same weather feed Snoflo's iOS app uses -- updated continuously from NOAA / yr.no. Watch the snow column the morning of a storm to know when to call in sick.

Hourly detail

Next 5 days, hour by hour

Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.

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Deep dive

5-day forecast table

Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.

TimeConditionTemp (°F)Snow (in)Rain (in)Humidity (%)Wind (mps)Wind dir
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Long-term outlook

15-day temperature & snow

Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks -- start of next storm cycle, end of last one.

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Forecast discussion

What forecasters are seeing

Plain-English forecast narrative from the local NWS office. Issued by NWS DMX.

523 FXUS63 KDMX 130749 AFDDMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 249 AM CDT Mon Jul 13 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Our slow warmup continues each day this week, with actual temperatures in the low and possibly mid 90s. Heat indices may approach 100 at times, particularly mid to late week. - Shallow, patchy fog possible early this morning, particularly in southeast Iowa. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 246 AM CDT Mon Jul 13 2026 High pressure and subsidence dominates across the central US this overnight as revealed by GOES channel 13 with a near perfect circle of clear skies from Colorado to Indiana. The sfc high is sitting over southeast Iowa, and the most calm winds are expected there tonight into early this morning. Radiative cooling is well on track currently, and brings in another sunrise timeframe with patchy fog potential. The near term forecast is quite similar to last night`s conditions that produced some shallow patchy fog in north and west Iowa. However, calm winds may be more favorable in southeast Iowa this time. Fog is not expected to be widespread, but some low lying portions of southeast Iowa highways could see steep visibility reductions until 7am. Similar conditions are possible Tuesday morning. Surface heating should have no issues recovering through the day today. Highs may be somewhat uniform across the state for today and tomorrow, though it will be a balancing act of a couple factors. 850mb temps will be a bit warmer across the north, where westerly winds dominate and remnants of an EML clip our CWA. However, this sits above an area of the state that has better soil moisture, and like yesterday is expected to retain higher dewpoints which may reduce the ability to mix down the warmer 850mb temps. In central and southern Iowa, dewpoints and soil moisture may be just a tick lower, and allow extra heating to match or exceed that in northern Iowa. Highs Tuesday will increase by a few degrees more as the stagnant airmass is heated further. As far as dewpoint forecasting over the next few days, pick your favorite boundary layer scheme, models are all over the place. The dewpoint near DSM for example is anywhere between 60 and 75 across the model suite Tuesday afternoon. Expectation is that widespread evapotranspiration will be enough to counter mixing down of fairly dry mid-levels. Most areas will keep mid 60s dewpoints, even at peak heating, and areas with better soil moisture, crop maturity, and reduced turbulent mixing will break into the 70s. Regardless, this is generally too low to have a large effect on heat indices. Therefore, headlines will not be needed in the short term. However, wet bulb globe temperatures will be near 85 on Tuesday given heat, lack of breeze, humidity, and ample sunshine. So, despite not meeting heat headline criteria, the middle of the afternoon, particularly Tuesday, will be a sweltering time to be doing work or exercise outside. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 228 PM CDT Sun Jul 12 2026 A Canadian long wave trough will dig southeastward into the northeastern CONUS through mid- to late- week, which attempts to shunt the 500 mb ridge overhead back to the west. As this occurs, the surface high pressure will begin to weaken, transitioning us to a more transient surface pattern over Iowa. This increases the spread in temperature solutions among deterministic and ensemble guidance through the end of the week. The general trend seems to be continued warming into the weekend, although NBM may be running too hot with forecast highs in the mid 90s and dewpoints in the 60s. Should dewpoints increase into the 70s, highs would likely be closer to the low 90s. Adjustments have been made to the forecast to account for this, but will need to continue to monitor trends. In addition to temperatures, the weakening high and increased moisture Thursday into Friday may bring back rain chances to the state. This is a low confidence scenario, especially with the late week pattern still in flux, so the forecast remains dry at this time. Severe chances will be better assessed in the coming days, but weak flow should help mitigate severe chances through this period. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 1052 PM CDT Sun Jul 12 2026 No changes from previous with light winds and clear skies expected to prevail through the TAF period outside of the low chance for patchy fog development into Monday morning. Best chances still remain near KOTM and left 6SM BR from previous TAF issuance. Although visby could drop lower at times, confidence in those impacts within 5SM of the terminal is too low for inclusion. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...De Bruin LONG TERM...Dodson AVIATION...05

Mountain & avalanche safety

Know before you go
Check today's avalanche bulletin from the regional avalanche center before any off-piste / side-country / backcountry travel. Conditions can shift dramatically between morning and afternoon on storm days.
Carry the gear, know how to use it
Beacon, shovel, probe. Practice companion rescue on a calm day, not during a real burial.
Mind the weather window
Heavy snow + wind builds wind slabs at ridgelines. The day after a storm is often the riskiest in the backcountry, even if the resort itself is open.
Respect closed terrain
Ropes are there for a reason. Even in-bounds, ducking a closure can trigger a slide that catches you and others below.

Track Buck Hill Ski Area in the Snoflo app

Save this resort as a favorite, set push alerts when snowfall crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me when Buck Hill Ski Area reports 6″ new"), and Snoflo's iOS app will push the moment the SNOTEL station crosses.

FAQ

About Buck Hill Ski Area

Where does the snow data for Buck Hill Ski Area come from?

Snowpack, SWE, 24-hour snowfall, and air temperature come from the nearest USDA NRCS SNOTEL station. Forecast comes from the National Weather Service / yr.no feed that Snoflo's iOS app uses.

How often is the snow report updated?

Snowpack and SNOTEL data are updated continuously by NRCS (typically hourly). The 15-day weather forecast is refreshed throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- look for the "as of" timestamp on the snowpack hero.

What's the elevation at Buck Hill Ski Area?

See the Resort Metrics panel above for base / summit / vertical drop. The summit elevation drives snowpack accumulation -- higher summits hold snow longer through spring.

How is "% of normal" calculated?

Today's snowpack is compared to the average snowpack on this calendar day across every recorded year at the nearest SNOTEL. 100% means right on average; 130% is a big year; 60% is thin.

What ski resorts are near Buck Hill Ski Area?

See the Other Ski Areas pill grid at the bottom of the page for resorts within driving distance. The sister Other Ski Areas card in the Plan-a-longer-trip grid above shows the closest few.

Can I get alerts when fresh snow hits?

Yes -- snow alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this resort, set a snowfall threshold (e.g. "alert me when 6+ inches"), and you'll get a push the moment the SNOTEL crosses.

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