Colorado’s First Taste of Winter Arrives with Rain and Mountain Snow
Colorado snow update: Early storm dusts Copper, Loveland and A-Basin with fresh snow, signalling ski season countdown just four weeks away.
Colorado just had its first real hint of winter, as a Pacific storm system brought a mix of heavy rain to the Front Range and fresh mountain snow to the high country. Parts of the Rockies woke up under a new white blanket this week, a reminder that ski season is getting closer by the day.
While rain drenched Denver and lower elevations, higher peaks saw a transition to snow, dusting popular ski areas and signalling that the 2025/26 season is nearly here. Resorts like Copper Mountain, Loveland, and Arapahoe Basin picked up flakes. It’s a timely arrival, with A-Basin scheduled to open in just four weeks (October 25), often one of the first in North America to spin its lifts each autumn.
Elsewhere in Summit County, Breckenridge and Keystone also saw snowfall higher up. Both are set to open in early November, and every early storm builds the excitement as base layers begin to settle in. Winter Park, another Colorado heavyweight, reported its peaks receiving a coating as rain pelted valleys below.
For skiers and riders, these September snowfalls are mostly symbolic — a signal of changing seasons rather than deep riding conditions — but they matter. Each storm cools the ground, primes the high-alpine environment for sustained cover, and fuels the stoke across the Rockies.
With Loveland forecasting fresh snow again today and Copper on track for its first measurable flakes since June, Colorado’s resorts are firmly on the countdown to opening day. Early-bird pass holders and locals alike will be watching the skies closely.
The storm also dropped much-needed rain across the state, helping ease wildfire concerns in drought-stricken areas. But for mountain communities, it’s the snow totals that count most — and this system has officially kick-started the conversation about when Colorado’s lifts will roll this fall.
And it’s not just Colorado getting ready: across the Atlantic, the Austrian glaciers — including Pitztal, Sölden, and Kaunertal — are all expecting fresh snow tomorrow as they prepare to open within days. With Cervinia and Zermatt also on the October calendar, the northern hemisphere’s winter momentum is building fast.
Stay tuned to Snow-Forecast.com Whiteroom for daily resort updates and snow news from Colorado and around the globe.
