Ski Report

Mt. Crescent Ski Area Snow Report

Iowa, United States Carter Lake
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Snowpack
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Right now · nearest snotel
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As of 2026-05-22
SWE
0.0in
Air temp
56°F
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Mt. Crescent Ski Area -- Iowa ski resort
Mt. Crescent Ski Area Iowa · Carter Lake
About this resort

Mt. Crescent Ski Area

Mt. Crescent Ski Area in Iowa offers a variety of trails for skiers of all levels, with the best trails being the Black Diamond and the Upper and Lower Sunset. An interesting fact is that the resort was first opened in the 1960s but had to close down due to financial difficulties. It was later reopened in 2012 by a new owner. For beginners, it's best to start on the Green Circle trail, which offers a gentle slope and easy turns. As for the best après-ski bar, the resort's bar is a great place to unwind and enjoy a drink after a long day on the slopes.

Terrain mix: The pertinent mountain range and mountain aspect of Mt. Crescent Ski Area in Iowa is the Loess Hills. The Loess Hills are a unique geological formation made up of windblown silt deposits that create a series of steep, rolling hills. The ski slopes at Mt. Crescent are situated on one of these hills, providing skiers and snowboarders with challenging terrain and beautiful views of the surrounding landscape.

StateIowa
LocationCarter Lake
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 OAX.

137 FXUS63 KOAX 040434 AFDOAX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 1134 PM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Cold front moving in overnight brings scattered showers with a few rumbles of thunder to northeast Nebraska Tuesday morning (40-70% chance). - Rain chances shift to southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa Tuesday evening into Wednesday (60-90% chance). - Milder temperatures through Thursday, warming back up going into the weekend. Dry, seasonably warm weather expected over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1118 PM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026 A few showers are starting to move into northeast Nebraska along the cold front as it pushes into Knox County. As this front moves through we`ll see winds shift to northerly and scattered showers spread across the area. While model soundings show decent shear (35-50kt) behind the front, instability will be limited making it difficult for us to see much more than a few lightning strikes with our strongest storms overnight. Looking back at the larger picture we have a cold front moving through, stemming from a longwave trough located over central Canada. This cold front has brought a cooler Canadian air mass south into the Northern Plains. The cold front looks to stall across our area tomorrow. Showers and storms trigger along this boundary as weak shortwaves move across our area. Showers will likely remain fairly scattered through the morning into the afternoon due to weak forcing. PWAT values north of our 90th percentile may allow for some locally heavy rainfall from these showers and storms, but they should move well enough to not be much of a threat for flash flooding. A more substantial shortwave moves through tomorrow night into Wednesday bringing greater coverage of showers and storms. Again, we`ll lack enough instability for much of a severe weather threat overnight, but ample moisture as well as potential for training storms along the frontal boundary could lead to greater potential for flash flooding into Wednesday morning. We`ll get a better idea of the exact corridor for heavier rainfall once the front stalls this afternoon, but it should land fairly close to our forecast right now for areas along and just south of the I-80 corridor. Highest rainfall amounts through Wednesday look to be mostly over our southwest Iowa counties which could see around 1-2 inches of rain. Areas along the heavier rain axis in Nebraska will more likely see anywhere from 0.5-1.25 inches. Locally higher amounts will be possible, especially if we see any training storms. Showers and storms will taper off through the afternoon, ending by around 7pm Wednesday evening. With cloud cover and rain through much of the day, highs on Wednesday look to only reach into the 70s. Even areas in northeast Nebraska that likely won`t see much rain at all will see highs stay in the mid-to- upper 70s due to the Canadian air mass in place. Thursday we see one more vort max round the base of the upper- level trough across our area before it slides off to the east. This could bring a few light showers Thursday evening, but our air mass should be too dry for much to reach the ground at that point. Temperatures will stay fairly mild with mostly clear skies, only reaching into the low 80s Thursday afternoon. Going into the weekend, the ridge over the Desert Southwest expands eastward, filling in behind the departing trough. This will allow temperatures to warm back up with highs in the upper 80s on Friday and low-to-mid 90s on Saturday. Not expecting any rain through the weekend, but will start watching for rain chances returning possibly as early as Sunday night into early Monday, but more likely Monday night into Tuesday. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1128 PM CDT Mon Aug 3 2026 VFR conditions are favored through the forecast period. A front pushing southward across the area through 04/10Z will shift winds from southerly to northerly, with wind speeds gradually becoming gusty (18-22 kts) behind the passage. Widely scattered showers and storms are expected behind the front through much of the morning and afternoon. These showers will be isolated in coverage and transient, leading to low predictability in the timeframe of impacts. Each terminals has a 20-30% chance of showers through this period. Amendments will be made as confidence in timing increases. Patchy MVFR conditions will be possible under any heavier showers. More widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected near KOMA and KLNK during the final few hours of the forecast period. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. IA...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...McCoy AVIATION...Wood

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 Mt. Crescent 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 Mt. Crescent Ski Area reports 6″ new"), and Snoflo's iOS app will push the moment the SNOTEL station crosses.

FAQ

About Mt. Crescent Ski Area

Where does the snow data for Mt. Crescent 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 Mt. Crescent 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 Mt. Crescent 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.

More ski areas

Other resorts near here

Snoflo-tracked ski areas within driving distance of Mt. Crescent Ski Area.