Heavy snow and low snow levels for the Rockies early this week

A powerful early season storm will move across the Rockies from Monday through early Wednesday with the first widespread heavy snow event for many areas. Cold air will also be arriving with this system and snow will fall down to base areas at many ski resorts.

Check out the projected snowfall (from a blend of weather models) from Monday through Wednesday across the Rockies. The mountain ranges of Southwest Montana and Northern/Central Wyoming, especially near and east of the Continental Divide, will see the heaviest snowfall from this storm.

Our 5-Day Powder Finder highlights the deepest ski resort and backcountry snow forecasts, and you can filter these forecasts by state and country as well. Red Lodge, on the eastern side of the Beartooth Range in Montana, has the deepest forecast of all ski resorts this week.

Forecast for Mon 10/11 – Tue 10/12

The heaviest snow will fall across Southwest Montana during the day on Monday, with lighter snow extending south into Utah and west into California. The focus of the heaviest snow will then shift into Wyoming, South Central Montana, Utah, and Colorado on Tuesday.

Farther north, a storm will also bring snow to Alaska and Western/Northern British Columbia on Monday night and Tuesday.

Forecast for Wed 10/13 – Thu 10/14

Lingering snow from the big storm will taper off across the Rockies on Wednesday morning but will persist over the Black Hills.

Meanwhile, a weaker storm will follow with light/moderate snow developing over the Cascades and Southern BC/Alberta on Wednesday and across the U.S. Rockies on Wednesday night and Thursday. Snow levels will remain low with below-average temperatures in place.

Another storm will impact Northwest BC on Thursday as well.

Forecast for Fri 10/15 – Sat 10/16

Snow will linger across Colorado through early Friday, then a drying trend will ensue across most of the Western U.S. from Friday afternoon through Saturday. A storm will bring more snow to British Columbia and the Northern Washington Cascades on Friday with a drying trend to follow on Saturday.

Outlook for Sun 10/17 – Thu 10/21

A warmer and drier pattern is expected across the Rockies during this period, while the storm track will remain more active over the Pacific Northwest with additional storms likely. The storm track could dip far enough south by mid to late next week for the Sierra to see some action as well.

No snow is expected for the East during this period, but a cooling trend is likely after the past couple of weeks of above-average warmth. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (10/13).

ALAN SMITH