Colorado snowpack update: Southern mountains off to deep, fast start

Colorado’s mountain snowpack has begun to build for the 2026/27 winter, and the southern mountains have been the biggest beneficiaries of the early-season moisture.

After the most recent October snow storm (Oct. 23-25) brought 12-14 inches of snow to the upper peaks in Colorado’s southern mountains, with only light to moderate snowfall totals falling in the northern and central mountains, respectively.

The contrast of the two mountain zones is quickly building, with well-above-average snowfall for the southern half of the state, but below-average snowfall in the northern half.

This lopsided affect could be contributed to El Niño conditions as well.

Statewide Snow Water Equivalent snapshot:

• Current as of: Oct. 25, 2026 (latest complete day of SNOTEL data)
• Percent of median: 161%
• Percent of median peak: 5%
• Days until median peak: about 165 (around April 6)
• Percentile: about the 65th, compared with the same date since 1991

The figures come from 105 SNOTEL stations that reported data and have a median for the date.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service data, Percent of Median this early in the season is easy to inflate, because the late-October median is only a few tenths of an inch at most sites.

Snow Water Equivalent by river basin:

• Rio Grande (13 sites). The standout so far, at roughly 666% of median, with a typical site holding about 1.7 inches of snow water equivalent. The median at this date is only about 0.2 inch.
• San Miguel–Dolores–Animas–San Juan (17 sites). Also far above normal at about 685% of median, with Wolf Creek Summit and Red Mountain Pass among the leaders.
• Gunnison (10 sites). Well above average at about 350% of median, led by Slumgullion.
• Arkansas (6 sites). Well above average at about 220% of median, but from a small base.
• North Platte (5 sites). Below normal at about 56% of median, but helped by the Never Summer Range.
• Colorado (26 sites). Below normal at about 66% of median. The headwaters region has yet to see much.
• South Platte (19 sites). The driest basin so far, at about 44% of median, is behind the pace.
• Yampa–White (9 sites). The second driest basin so far, at about 47% of median.

Sites with the most snow:

SNOTEL site	Basin	Elevation	Snow water equivalent	Median	7-day change
Beartown	Rio Grande	11,580 ft	7.5″	0.4″	+4.3″
Middle Creek	Rio Grande	11,260 ft	5.1″	0.8″	+3.1″
Red Mountain Pass	San Miguel-Dolores-Animas-San Juan	11,060 ft	4.3″	0.8″	+2.7″
Slumgullion	Gunnison	11,560 ft	4.2″	1.0″	+2.8″
Wolf Creek Summit	San Miguel-Dolores-Animas-San Juan	10,930 ft	4.1″	1.4″	+3.2″

Areas in the eastern and central San Juan Mountains have received upwards of 80″ of snowfall this season. The Beartown SNOTEL station in the Needle Mountains east of Silverton has recorded 7.5″ of snow water equivalent, as of Tuesday, Oct. 27. Using a standard 10:1 ratio (snowfall in inches to snow water equivalent), Beartown has recorded approximately 75 inches of snow already.

Snow water equivalent levels, when compared to the same date in 2025, show that one year ago, the site was recording 0 inches of snow water equivalent. Snow had fallen prior to the Oct. 27, 2025 at the site, however, had mostly to completely melted away by month’s end.

El Niño’s presence

The presence of El Niño conditions has more than likely affected how the snowpack across Colorado is being built in the early season.

According to the National Weather Service, El Niño typically shifts the Pacific jet stream southward and eastward, creating a split personality in Colorado’s weather patterns: wetter and snowier conditions favor the southern and southwestern parts of the state, while northern and central mountains often see near-to-below-average precipitation.

Colorado snowpack updates are written out for Tuesdays and Fridays.

Some data for this report was compiled with the assistance of AI, then reviewed by the editor.