Ski Report

Buck Hill Ski Area snow report

Iowa, United States Apple Valley
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As of 2026-06-12
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61°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.

384 FXUS63 KDMX 130810 AFDDMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 310 AM CDT Sat Jun 13 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered storms are expected across western Iowa this morning that may primarily pose a threat of large hail. - Stronger storms are expected to develop this afternoon, and are most likely in southern Iowa. These storms primarily pose a hail, wind, and flash flooding threat. - Pleasant weather returns on Sunday. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 301 AM CDT Sat Jun 13 2026 A complex severe weather setup looks to unfold today. Looking across the CONUS, the main shortwave later to be responsible for today`s storms is still over Montana but will pivot east quickly in the coming hours. A more subtle shortwave is visible in RAP analysis and mid-level water vapor over southern South Dakota and western Nebraska. A deepening surface low sits over eastern Colorado, with a cold front extending NE to the Great Lakes and across NW Iowa. Ahead of the surface low a LLJ is already reaching 40 knots and may continue to strengthen overnight, with the nose aimed at eastern Nebraska, though the LLJ will fade in strength after 12z. 3000 J/kg MUCAPE and 1300 J/kg DCAPE is advecting north quickly out of Kansas riding the LLJ. CAMs are in decent agreement about LLJ induced elevated CI in eastern Nebraska near 09z, though there is significant uncertainty in eastward advancement into Iowa. A long-lived MCS is unlikely as the fading LLJ will orphan the storms as they move east. So the damaging wind threat will be minimal though perhaps non-zero given some nearby strong DCAPE values. Per the new SPC outlook, the hail threat is the largest threat with the morning convection given MUCAPE of 3000+ being advected in, though shear looks messy and marginal overall. How far this complex of storms can advance east will have implications for our severe weather threat today. Given the 00z CAM suite and recent HRRR trends, it is likely an outflow boundary (OFB) is draped out behind the morning convection. As a most likely location of this boundary by early afternoon, REFS guidance places it west/east over far southern IA. Three separate airmasses may be in play for the IA slight risk today. 1. Air unmodified by outflow. At least 2000 SBCAPE and fairly unidirectional shear profiles. 2. Air in the residual cold pool but ahead of the cold front. Better backed low level winds but poor lapse rates. Perhaps some airmass/SBCAPE recovery with intermittent sunshine before the cold front passes. 3. Near the OFB mid afternoon (likely near our southern border). Latest CAM trends show better backed surface winds and sufficient effective shear for supercells. Additionally, airmass recovery may be sufficient for moderate to strong SBCAPE/3CAPE. The most likely scenario today appears to be morning storms across western and central Iowa with a low-end hail threat. Elevated storms may continue to percolate in the residual outflow and increase in coverage by mid afternoon as the cold front passes with a wind/hail threat where the best airmass recovery occurs. The most robust supercells with primarily wind and hail threat (and maybe a tornado if everything comes together) may occur on the OFB likely draped out in southern IA or Missouri, though this boundary could advance fairly far south without much low-level flow to resist the cold pool. It is worth noting recent HRRR runs where the OFB is perfectly positioned for discrete supercells across central to southern Iowa, with strong CAPE and well curved hodographs. This is a less likely scenario, though given the way it is initializing it is admittedly not "off its rocker" yet so to speak. As a continuation of previous AFDs, a flash flooding threat remains as well. Isolated areas of several inches of QPF are present in the CAMs, especially in southern Iowa where the ground is already very saturated. High pressure and cold air advection fills in on Sunday behind the front. It should be a very pleasant day with clear skies and highs in the low to mid 70s. Downward momentum transfer via PBL mixing will make winds gusty at times, especially in northern Iowa. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 243 PM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026 Cooler temperatures are forecast Sunday night through the end of next week. Much of the area will stay below 85 degrees each day, with a slight warming trend towards the end of next week. Lows Sunday night into Monday will bottom out in the high 40s to low 50s before gradually warming each night. The overall pattern looks much less active, save for a few passing shortwaves. Specifics on those will be addressed in the coming days. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/... Issued at 1044 PM CDT Fri Jun 12 2026 VFR conditions will prevail through the overnight with light southerly winds. On Saturday morning showers and thunderstorms will move into western Iowa and spread across the state from west to east. These are most likely in central Iowa and have included prevailing -SHRA with prob30 for -TSRA at KFOD/KDSM. A second round will then move across the state with a cold front through the late afternoon and evening. A few strong to severe storms are possible, mainly with the second round of storms on Saturday. Storms push southeast of the area through the evening, clearing KOTM at the very end of the current TAF period. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...De Bruin LONG TERM...67 AVIATION...Hagenhoff

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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