CRESCENT, Iowa (KMTV) — At least one place in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area will have a white Christmas this year.
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Crescent Hill at Hitchcock opens this week for skiing, snowboarding and sledding, even as temperatures are forecast to reach the high 50s by Christmas Day.
"Warm weather is not necessarily our friend," said Kylie Jacott, community outreach manager for Pottawattamie County Conservation.
Just because crews can make their own snow doesn't mean it can happen at any time, Jacott explained. Temperatures must be cold enough — no more than 26 degrees wet bulb temperature, which is the temperature reached when adding or subtracting moisture from the air.
"We've been taking advantage of every winter weather opportunity that's lined up for us to pile as much as we can on the runs that we're going to have open," Jacott said.
Chris Andrew, the site manager, said snow depth varies across the facility.
"On the main run, we've got anywhere from two to four feet of snow depth," Andrew said.
The Pottawattamie County Conservation team started making snow on Nov. 30, and each day since that it's been cold enough. Andrew says they won't make snow for the entire ski area.
"So, instead of spreading ourselves really thin and making snow on all the terrain, we kind of consolidated and focused on where we could make it the thickest," Andrew said.
Despite the warm forecast, officials aren't worried about melting. There's enough snow to last through the week, which means families can fully enjoy the warm days ahead.
"Especially with little kiddos, comfort, when it comes to learning how to ski and snowboard which can be kind of scary, is really important," Jacott said.
The man-made snow will be available for visitors starting Saturday at 9 a.m. Between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2, there will be special holiday hours, including a Christmas Eve visit from Santa Claus.
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