Busy forecast starts 2026 with 3 storms over 10-day stretch that could add a couple of feet to weak winter start Moderate amounts of snow fell in Colorado’s mountains from a late-December storm over the weekend, especially in the northern mountains, but overall the storm didn’t fully live up to forecasts. Colorado’s snowpack continues its woes as the heart of winter starts with statewide snow levels still below 60%. The short-term forecast heading into 2026 looks weak, but some snow is possible for the first weekend of the new year. Recap: Saturday was pleasant in the morning, clouds flowed in during the afternoon then snow developed in the evening. Snow continued overnight Sunday as bands dropped much needed flakes across the state. On Sunday, skiers and riders were rewarded with between 1-12 inches of snow, with the highest snow totals recorded in the northern mountains. Winter Park and Steamboat both reported 12 inches for Sunday morning. The snow stake web camera at Winter Park Resort showed 12 inches of fresh snow for Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025’s skiing and riding at the Grand County resort in Winter Park, Colorado. (Courtesy, Winter Park Resort). Colorado snowpack: Statewide snowpack received a small bump over the weekend, however, the forecasted storm under produced in the southern mountains and only pushed snowpack levels up a few percentage points from 53% of median average to 57%. The snow water equivalent level for Dec. 28 is at 3.6 inches, which is 2.6 inches below median average for the date. Colorado’s snowpack is at 57% of median average for Dec. 28’s date and holds 3.6 inches of snow water equivalent within the snow. (Natural Resources Conservation Service). In order for Colorado’s snowpack to return to median average today, the state would need approximately between 50-80 inches of snow across all eight river basins, based on a 10:1 (snow in inches/SWE) ratio. Because snow reflects heat effectively, even as a thin layer atop rocks, grasses and mountain slopes, because its white crystalline surface has a high albedo – the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface. Fresh snow has an albedo between 80-90%, which bounces sunlight and its energy back to space while keeping the ground and air cooler. A Geocolor composite image of Colorado at 12:40 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. The Colorado mountains have a fresh layer of snowfall on them after a storm dumped between 1-12 inches across much of the state’s high country from a late-December winter storm on Saturday, Dec. 27 and Sunday, Dec. 28. (Courtesy, NOAA). But if darker surfaces like rocks and dirt, and dirty snow or older snow are exposed due to a lack of fresh snow coverage, the areas around the rocks, dirt and dirty snow warm up, subsequently drying out the soil through the captured heat from the sun leading to more heating and more drying in other nearby areas. December through March are the snowiest months in Colorado’s mountains, but since little snow fell in the fall months of October and November and at the start of winter in December, the state’s snowpack is lagging farther behind each month if below average snowfall continues to accumulate inconsistently. The current Seasonal Temperature Outlook valid from January 2026 to March 2026 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts above normal chances that most of Colorado will be warmer than average during the first three months of 2026, with a 33-40% chance across most of central and southeastern Colorado and a 40-50% chance across southwestern and south-central Colorado. A NOAA Seasonal Temperature Outlook for January, February and March 2026 of the United States. (Courtesy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). What’s also problematic, but maybe not alarming yet, is the Seasonal Precipitation Outlook for January to March has most of the state at equal chances of average precipitation levels except a small sliver across southwestern and south-central Colorado leaning toward a 33-40% chance of below average precipitation levels. A NOAA Seasonal Precipitation Outlook for January, February and March 2026 of the United States. (Courtesy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Forecast: From Monday through Wednesday, the forecast calls for dry, calm and sunny conditions returning, with highs in the mid 30s to low 40s at most base areas. On Thursday, an area of low pressure is forecast to wander across southern California toward the Four Corners region, bringing snow to the southwestern, west-central and northwestern mountains. Current weather models have the storm falling apart late Thursday night and early Friday morning as it tracks eastward across northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. But some snow is forecast to fall through Friday afternoon, with possible snow totals in the northern mountains of between 3-6 inches with the highest amounts in the Park Range near Steamboat, in the central mountains between 2-6 inches with the highest amounts in the West Elks and in the southern mountains between 2-6 inches with the highest amounts in the northern San Juan Mountains around Silverton and Telluride. An ECWMF Total Snowfall 10:1 (in) forecast map of Colorado from 5 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 to 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Pivotalweather.com). Long-term forecast: Saturday is forecast to be a day between storms with cool temperatures and some sunshine. Snow is forecasting toward developing on Sunday afternoon as a storm passes north of Colorado but brushes the northern mountains, lasting through Monday, Jan. 5 afternoon/evening. It is possible that another storm impacts Colorado’s three mountain zones starting Wednesday, Jan. 7 morning lasting through Sunday, Jan. 11 for a larger snow event, however this forecast is about 10 days out still. An ECWMF Total Snowfall 10:1 (in) forecast map of Colorado from 5 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 to 5 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Pivotalweather.com). More model runs will need to render to hone in better details regarding accumulations, timing and duration of this storm. Colorado ski resorts 24-hour totals: Arapahoe Basin – 1″ Aspen Highlands – 0″ Aspen Mountain – 1″ Beaver Creek – 0″ Breckenridge – 1″ Buttermilk – 0″ Cooper – 0″ Copper Mountain – 1″ Crested Butte – 0″ Cuchara – 0″ Echo Mountain – 0″ Eldora Mountain – 0″ Granby Ranch – 0″ Hesperus – Closed for the season Howelsen Hill – 0″ Kendall Mountain – 0″ Keystone – 0″ Loveland – 0″ Monarch – 1″ Powderhorn – 1″ Purgatory – 0″ Silverton – Snowmass – 0″ Steamboat – 1″ Sunlight – 0″ Telluride – 0″ Vail – 0″ Winter Park – 0″ Wolf Creek – 0″ ...read more read less