Brace for Impact—A Big Winter Storm Is Brewing Across The Mountain West

Storm Summary

A wet and windy Pacific push targets the Pacific Northwest Friday through Sunday (October 24-26, 2025), with the Oregon and Washington Cascades favored for the deepest snow.

Expect Saturday night into Sunday to produce the largest 24-hour totals there, with Timberline around 7–13 inches and Mt. Bachelor around 6–10 inches by Sunday afternoon.

As the cold air deepens and the plume shifts inland, the Northern Rockies take over Monday, led by Brundage 4–8 inches and Grand Targhee 3–5 inches of higher-quality snow.

Utah’s Cottonwoods see 2–4 inches Sunday night into Monday of medium-to-fluffy snow.

Colorado gets two lighter hits: 2–4 inches in the central mountains by Friday morning, then 1–3 inches in many ranges Sunday night into Monday.

The Sierra stays comparatively warm and windy with 2–6 inches at the higher Tahoe peaks by Sunday morning. All listed resorts are closed, so treat this as a storm preview and snowpack builder, not a chase plan.

Key Points

Good:

• Timing and depth: Cascades peak Saturday night–Sunday with the biggest totals; Northern Rockies peak Monday with colder, lighter snow.
• Quality trend: Snow-to-liquid ratios (SLR) in the Cascades climb from denser 6–8 Saturday to 10–12 by Sunday. The Tetons/MT/ID run 12–15 Monday for fluffier turns once things open later this season.
• Snow levels drop to pass levels and below in WA/OR by Sunday, and to 4–5k ft across much of the Northern Rockies Monday.

Bad:

• Wind: Strong southwest ridgetop winds Friday night–Saturday in the OR Cascades (peak ridgeline gusts near 90–100 mph at times around the volcanoes) will knock down quality and create drifted surfaces. CO ridgelines gust 35–40+ mph Monday.
• Warm Sierra: High snow levels (7–8.5k ft) and dense snow limit quality; accumulations focus above the higher Tahoe ridges.
• Totals modest in UT and CO, good for refreshers but not deep.

Wildcards:

• Small latitude shifts of the Pacific moisture plume will swing winners within the Cascades.
• The inland transition timing matters: a slower push favors bigger Sunday-Monday numbers west, a quicker push boosts the Northern Rockies sooner.
• Wind bursts around frontal passages could locally compact snow or close upper lifts once the season starts.

Daily Forecast

(Day totals combine the prior night 4 pm–8 am plus the same day 8 am–4 pm.)
All ski areas listed are closed; use this as a day-by-day snow preview.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Colorado’s southern and central mountains see a dusting to 1 inch. Wolf Creek tops the small list around 1 inch. Snow is dense with high snow levels.

Friday, October 24, 2025

• Colorado leads:Copper and Snowmass 3–4 inches, Loveland 3, Breckenridge/A-Basin/Monarch 2–3, Vail/Beaver Creek 2–3. This is denser snow (SLR mostly 7–10) with light winds overall.
• PNW stays mainly in “setup mode” until Friday night; Whistler edges out 2–3 inches by day’s end.

Saturday, October 25, 2025

• Oregon Cascades pop from the Friday night surge: Mt Bachelor 5–8 inches, Timberline 4–6. WA adds 3–4 at Crystal, 3–4 at Whistler, 1–2 at Baker. Snow is denser early (SLR ~6–8) with very strong ridgetop winds around OR volcanoes, easing gradually late.
• Elsewhere: Light starters of 1–2 at Brundage; Sierra mainly 0–1 by day.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

• Peak Cascades day:Timberline 7–13, Crystal 6–11, Bachelor 6–10, Baker 5–9, Stevens 4–7. SLR improves to ~10–12 with lower snow levels for better quality than Saturday.
• Northern Rockies begin ramping: Brundage 5–8 for the Sat night–Sun window.
• Utah picks up 2–4 in the Cottonwoods (Alta/Snowbird/Brighton). Park City/Deer Valley 1–2.
• Tahoe highest peaks tally 2–6 by Sunday morning (Kirkwood 4–6, Palisades 2–4, Sugar Bowl 2–3) with wind and higher snow levels limiting quality.

Monday, October 27, 2025

• Northern Rockies take the lead with colder, lighter snow: Brundage 4–8, Grand Targhee 3–5, Schweitzer 3–5, Jackson Hole 2–4, Big Sky 2–4. SLR 12–15 means fluffier feel.
• Cascades add 3–5 at Bachelor/Timberline, 2–5 across Baker/Stevens/Crystal/Snoqualmie as showers persist.
• Utah adds 2–4 in the Cottonwoods; 1–3 for Powder Mountain/Beaver Mountain.
• Colorado refresh: generally 1–3 for Snowmass, Vail/Beaver Creek, Loveland/A-Basin, Copper, Winter Park, Steamboat. Ridges gust 35–40+ mph.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

• Lingering cold powder centers on the Tetons and high OR/WA peaks: Grand Targhee 2–4, Jackson 1–3, Timberline 2–4, Bachelor ~1–2.
• Smaller tail-end shots of 1–2 in parts of CO high country, Whistler, and Stevens/Baker early. Utah has 0.5–1.5 overnight leftovers.

Snow Quality Notes:

• SLR < 9 = heavy/denser; 9–14 = medium-density; 14+ = fluffy.
• Expect denser Saturday snow in the OR/WA Cascades and Tahoe, trending lighter by Sunday in the Cascades and fluffy Monday in the Northern Rockies.
• Strong winds reduce quality in exposed terrain, especially OR Cascades Friday night–Saturday and CO ridges Monday.

Regional Details

Pacific Northwest

A broad Pacific tap feeds the Cascades Friday night through Sunday, with a robust southwest jet producing periods of heavy precipitation and wind. Snow levels start elevated, then drop to pass levels or lower by Sunday, yielding the best quality and coverage then. Standouts: Timberline ~7–13 inches Sunday, Mt Bachelor ~6–10 Sunday, with Baker/Stevens/Crystal adding 4–9. Winds are strongest Friday night–Saturday, then ease into Sunday–Monday while showers continue.

Northern Rockies

Late-week stays relatively quiet, then a colder wave focuses Saturday night through Monday with solid inland totals and higher SLR. Headliners Monday: Brundage 4–8, Grand Targhee 3–5, Schweitzer 3–5, Jackson 2–4, Big Sky 2–4. Snow levels trend 4–5k ft by Monday with moderate winds.

Utah

Moisture arrives Saturday night, peaking Sunday night into Monday. Expect 2–4 inches in the Cottonwoods, with 1–3 across Powder/Beaver/PC/Deer Valley. SLR ~11–12 supports medium-to-fluffy quality, with breezy west winds on ridges but generally less disruptive than the Cascades.

Colorado

Two smaller pulses. First: Thursday night into Friday with 2–4 inches in the central mountains (Copper, Snowmass) and 2–3 at Loveland/A-Basin/Breckenridge, Vail/Beaver Creek. Second: Sunday night into Monday with 1–3 inches for many ranges (Snowmass, Vail/BC, Loveland/A-Basin, Copper/Winter Park/Steamboat). Snow is denser Friday, then lighter Monday, though ridgetop gusts near 35–40+ mph Monday can affect surface quality.

California

A modest, warmer system Saturday–Sunday brings 2–6 inches focused on the higher Tahoe peaks by Sunday morning, led by Kirkwood 4–6, Palisades 2–4, Sugar Bowl 2–3. Snow levels 7–8.5k ft and gusty winds keep quality on the denser side with limited coverage below upper ridges.

Extended Outlook (6–14 days)

The West stays active with the Pacific Northwest favored for additional waves, while colder shots periodically reach the Northern Rockies. Expect a brief midweek lull in some areas, then potential for another system late next week mainly targeting the Northwest and northern tier.