The ski season is quickly approaching, notably in Colorado, the place lots of the state’s ski resorts are recognized for opening early. Some, like Keystone, hope to welcome skiers in mid-October—that’s lower than two months away.
However what is going to the 2025-2026 ski season truly appear to be, snowfall-wise?
If we had an actual reply, we’d in all probability be millionaires. Lengthy-range meteorology is a fickle enterprise, in spite of everything.
There are methods to divine how good the Colorado snow high quality may be in December, January, or February, although.
Specifically, we are able to take a look at the Previous Farmer’s Almanac (and its competitor, the Farmers’ Almanac). Each publications assist invigorate the ski season hype cycle with their winter climate predictions.
In line with the Previous Farmer’s Almanac, gentle and moist situations are in retailer for Colorado skiers this 12 months.
Courtesy Previous Farmer's Almanac
The Previous Farmer’s Almanac 2025-2026 Colorado Winter Predictions
On the 2025-2026 winter forecast map printed by the Previous Farmers’ Almanac, Colorado falls into an space that’s slated for “gentle” and “moist” climate. Collectively, neither of these attributes sounds nice for skiers.
However the publication presents additional granularity in its region-by-region forecasts.
The Previous Farmer’s Almanac places Colorado in the course of two areas: Intermountain and Excessive Plains. The Intermountain area covers the western portion of the state. The Excessive Plains covers the east.
Within the Intermountain area, which begins simply after Denver and accounts for primarily all the state’s ski resorts, a “Gentle winter with combined precipitation and fluctuating snow quantities” is predicted by the Previous Farmer’s Almanac.
The Previous Farmer’s Almanac forecasts above-average temperatures right here and barely above regular precipitation. The coldest durations of the upcoming winter, the forecasters say, will probably be late November, early December, and early February.
The snowiness of the 2025-2026 ski season in Colorado, then, might hinge on the freezing stage. If the temperatures keep chilly sufficient, that barely above regular precipitation might turn out to be powder.
What Do Different Forecasters Say About Colorado’s Upcoming Ski Season?
The Previous Farmer’s Almanac, after all, isn’t the one group predicting what subsequent winter will appear to be in Colorado.
The Farmers' Almanac
The Farmers’ Almanac Colorado Winter Forecast
For one, there’s the Farmers’ Almanac, the Previous Farmer’s Almanac’s competitor within the centuries-old forecasting sport.
The forecast from the Farmers’ Almanac for Colorado seems to be significantly completely different. In its regional breakdown, Colorado is a part of the North Central U.S., alongside states like Wyoming and Montana.
The headline for this area? “Very chilly, snowy”—that’s extra prefer it.
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The NOAA Colorado Winter Forecast
The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) seasonal outlooks are much less encouraging. The federal company forecasts every season upfront in broad, three-month chunks.
In the course of the winter’s first stretch—November, December, and January—NOAA believes that above-average temperatures in Colorado are the probably end result (versus below-average or near-normal). That may make early-season snowmaking powerful. On this interval, the precipitation cube aren’t loaded in both course, in response to NOAA.
By mid-winter—January, February, and March—the NOAA prognosis for Colorado is about as imprecise as it might probably get. No precipitation or temperature end result throughout the state is extra possible than the opposite. On NOAA’s season outlook map for this era, virtually all of Colorado is in “equal possibilities” territory.
As you might need observed, the long-range outlooks can differ significantly from forecast to forecast. Our recommendation? Do not rely your snowflakes earlier than they fall.
Associated: Six Years of Superpark: The Ski Occasion That Modified The whole lot