While a major blizzard dumped snow Wednesday on Denver, at least one Maine ski area temporarily gave up trying to make snow. Another hasn’t even tried yet. It’s too warm.

So warm, in fact, Maine could record the warmest year at Portland since 1998’s average record of 48.3 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Gray. Not to mention the warmest December since 2001.

“We usually aren’t this green less than a week before Christmas,” meteorologist Michael Cempa said Wednesday afternoon in Gray.

In the first 11 months, Portland recorded an average of 49.3 degrees, and an average of 29 degrees in December through Wednesday, meteorologist Steve Capriola said late Wednesday afternoon in Gray.

A new warmest year record will be set if the average temperature in Portland is about 28 degrees over the remaining 13 days.

From September through November, this fall was the 5th warmest meteorological autumn since 1941, recording an average temperature of 51 degrees, Capriola said.

“The coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere is in Alaska and Russia, and that pattern seems to be holding. Wednesday’s blizzard in Colorado will work its way eastward, but, by the time it gets here, it will lose a lot of its punch,” he said.

Not only that, the storm is expected to head into Canada to the west of us, drawing more warm temperatures into Maine, Capriola added.

As of Wednesday, Portland had recorded 2.8 inches of snow for December, which is down 8 inches.

That isn’t what anyone who makes a living off snow and cold temperatures here wants to hear.

Josh Burns, owner of Mt. Abram Ski Resort in Greenwood, said Wednesday that they had to shut down their new snowmaking system. It wasn’t cold enough. They bumped opening day from Dec. 16 to today but as of Wednesday, are pushing it to Friday.

“I can’t even remember when Sunday River’s open trails have been this low, and they’ve got the best snowmaking system in New England,” Burns said of Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry.

Sunday River spokesman Alex Kaufman said as of Wednesday, they had 36 trails open and were shooting for 50 by Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

“The warm temperatures have definitely had an impact on the amount we’ve had open, but, we’re going full steam ahead with 225 snowmaking guns running,” he said.

Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, which is usually open by Christmas vacation, has yet to make snow this season, Gary Hedstrom said Wednesday in Farmington. Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford has stopped advertising because of the lack of snow and warm temperatures. They still hope to open Tuesday.

“Our industry is dying for a 2-foot snowstorm, or, at least a reasonable stretch of cold weather to make some. It’s not going to be the whiz-bang opening we hoped,” Black Mountain spokesman Craig Zurhorst said Wednesday.

Connie King, owner of Lost Valley Ski Area in Auburn, said Wednesday they’ve bumped their opening day from Dec. 15 to Wednesday, and now to the day after Christmas.

“We’re telling everyone to do the snow dance every day. That’s dancing up and down and praying to the gods above,” King said.

Bridgton’s Shawnee Peak ski area, which opened last weekend, closed Wednesday and Thursday to try and make more snow, Greg Sweetser, executive director of Ski Maine Association said Wednesday afternoon.

“The real news from the alpine industry is that we are comparatively blessed that we can make snow, but snowmobilers can’t do anything until it snows. Man, they need the snow,” he said.