In Many Parts of U.S., A Winterless Wonderland

UNDATED  (AP) - The weather pattern that left many northern states with a brown Christmas is sticking around in the new year. And that's bad news for winter sports enthusiasts.

Officials say that on Thursday only 19 percent of the nation was covered in snow. That's less than half the average snow cover over the past five years on the same date.

That unseasonable weather means frozen ponds and outdoor ice-skating rinks are turning slushy in Minnesota. In Maine, popular snowmobile trails are lacking the key ingredient. And in Reno, Nevada there wasn't a scintilla of snow in December. It'll be around 50 degrees this weekend.

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