Winter arrives early across the Northern Rockies as heavy snow blankets the West
The winter weather comes as moisture from the remnants of former Tropical Storm Rachel moves across the region.
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THE TAKEAWAY:
- Heavy snow and rain to slam Montana and the Northern Rockies until Wednesday.
- The heaviest snowfall is expected to impact high-elevation passes and mountain peaks.
- Elevations above 8,000 feet could see an additional 8 to 12 inches of snow.
Winter is arriving early across Montana and the Northern Rockies as heavy snow and rain blanket the region through Wednesday.
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The winter weather comes as moisture from the remnants of former Tropical Storm Rachel moves across the region.
As Rachel’s remnants continue east toward New England, a deep dip in the jet stream is bringing colder air into the West, driving snowfall across the central and southern Rockies.
Meanwhile, cold air is pushing south, allowing snow to accumulate across higher elevations in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.
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The heaviest snowfall is expected to affect high-elevation passes and mountain peaks across Utah’s Wasatch Range and the western and central slopes of Colorado.
Elevations above 8,000 feet could see an additional 8 to 12 inches of snow, with some mountain peaks receiving up to a foot.
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The winter weather is expected to taper off by late Wednesday morning, leaving isolated mountain flurries as the trough weakens and moves east across the Plains.
Heavy snow slams Utah. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
The early-October snowfall could provide a welcome boost for ski resorts across the West, which are looking to rebound after a dismal, dry 2025-2026 winter season.
According to Travel Weekly, booking data through August from Inntopia DestiMetrics showed lodging occupancy rates were down 5.6% for November through February. The data covers 17 mountain destinations across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
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Last season, numerous ski resorts also closed early amid a lack of snow and periods of unseasonably warm weather.
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Widespread snow drought conditions gripped much of the Intermountain West and Northern Rockies last winter, driven by persistent warm temperatures and a weakened northern storm track.
Many areas finished the season with snowfall totals among their 10 lowest on record, leaving snowpack levels well below what ski resorts typically hope to see.
A potentially strong Super El Niño could bring a different pattern this winter.
Heavy snow falls at the Loveland Ski Area in Colorado. (Dustin Schaefer, Loveland Ski Area)
Because snowfall depends heavily on the overlap of moisture and freezing temperatures, El Niño can produce contrasting outcomes across the northern and southern U.S.
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A more active Pacific jet stream can direct storms toward California and the Southwest, potentially boosting snowfall at higher elevations across the Sierra Nevada and Southern Rockies.