Winter Is Finally Here—3 Feet of Snow Forecasted at Ski Resorts Across The West
A shift in the pattern is bringing winter back in force across the West. We are looking at a two-part storm cycle this week. The first wave is a colder, fast-moving system impacting the Northern Rockies, Utah, and Colorado from Monday night through Wednesday (December 1-3, 2025).
While accumulations will be light to moderate, the snow quality will be exceptional with very high Snow-to-Liquid Ratios (SLR), offering “cold smoke” conditions. After a brief lull on Thursday, the main event arrives for the weekend.
A potent, moisture-laden flow will slam the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Utah, and Colorado from Friday through Sunday (December 5-7,2025), delivering significant accumulations and likely the deepest turns of the early season for opening weekends at several major resorts.
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Notable Resort Snowfall Totals, Through Saturday, December 6, 2025:
- Grand Targhee, WY: 22–39”
- Steamboat, CO: 20–34”
- Mt. Baker, WA: 18–31”
- Snowbird, UT: 16–28”
- Alta, UT: 16–27”
- Jackson Hole, WY: 17–26”
- Solitude, UT: 15–26”
- Brighton, UT: 15–25”
- Park City, UT: 14–24”
- Winter Park, CO: 12–23”
Key Points
The Good: Cold air is firmly in place for the first half of the week, particularly in the Rockies. We are seeing SLR values spiking into the 15:1 to 19:1 range for Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. This means even modest moisture will fluff up into deeper-than-expected, high-quality powder. The second half of the week brings significantly higher moisture content, setting up a “deep” weekend for the PNW and the Rockies.
The Bad: Wind will be a factor, particularly with the second system arriving late week. We are seeing gusts forecast in the 60-80 mph range for exposed ridges in the Oregon Cascades and heavy winds in the Northern Rockies by Friday. This could impact lift operations and scour alpine terrain. Additionally, snow levels in the PNW will fluctuate, starting low but potentially creeping up to 4,000-5,000 feet briefly on Friday before crashing back down.
The Wildcards: The exact track of the weekend storm remains a bit fluid regarding how far south the heaviest precipitation will dig. Currently, the data favors the Northern Rockies and Northern Utah for the sweet spot, but if the jet dips slightly further south, the Central Colorado mountains could overperform significantly by Saturday morning.
Daily Forecast Breakdown
Tuesday (12/2)
The best turns on Tuesday will be found in the Northern Rockies. A cold front moving through Monday night drops high-quality snow across Wyoming and Montana. Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole (currently closed) are favoring 3-5 inches of fluff, while Big Sky (Open) offers a great chase target with 3-5 inches of cold smoke (SLR 16:1) by the bell. In Colorado, Steamboat and the northern mountains will see light accumulations starting during the day, but the deeper totals arrive later.
Wednesday (12/3)
Focus shifts to Colorado and New Mexico. The energy from the first wave dives southeast, favoring the San Juans and the Central Mountains. Wolf Creek is a solid bet, likely stacking up 3-5 inches of moderate-density snow by Wednesday afternoon. Steamboat and Vail will offer soft, consistent turns with 2-4 inches of fresh snow from Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. In Utah, Solitude and Brighton (closed) pick up a quick 3-5 inches of very light, high-quality powder (SLR 17:1), making for excellent surface conditions if you are hiking or skiing the open terrain at Solitude.
Thursday (12/4)
This is largely a transition day with a lull in the action for the Rockies. However, the Pacific Northwest begins to ramp up again. Whistler will see steady snowfall throughout the day. In the Northern Rockies, Grand Targhee and Brundage (closed) start to see the leading edge of the next major system, with light snow developing late in the day. It is a good day to rest the legs or travel to position yourself for the marquee weekend storm.
Friday (12/5)
The storm door kicks wide open for the Northern Rockies, making Big Sky (Open) the premier target for the day. You can expect fresh, cold turns with 4–6” of accumulation stacking up from Thursday night through the ski day. Grand Targhee remains closed, but the Teton region will be the epicenter of this wave, getting hammered with 8–13” of snow on Friday. Further west, Whistler continues to deliver consistent refills with 3–5” of new snow. In Utah, Alta and Snowbird kick off their seasons with a modest 2–4” of fresh snow during operating hours, though heavy accumulation is forecast to ramp up significantly after the lifts close.
Saturday (12/6)
This is the main event. A potent storm delivers heavy snowfall overnight Friday into Saturday. Steamboat looks like the clear winner in Colorado, with a forecast of 9-14 inches of overnight snow and another 3-5 inches during the day. In Utah, Alta and Snowbird (scheduled to open Friday) will likely be reporting 8-12 inches of fresh snow for Saturday morning, shaping up to be a great opening weekend. Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole will also be deep (5-12″).
Regional Forecast Details
Northern Rockies (ID/MT/WY)
This region is the bullseye for consistency this week. A cold front Monday night delivers a quick shot of 2-4 inches of dry powder (SLR 16:1) to Big Sky and Grand Targhee. Temperatures will be quite cold, in the teens, preserving snow quality. A much stronger, moisture-laden westerly flow establishes itself Thursday through the weekend. Grand Targhee looks particularly deep, with the potential for 10-16 inches of snow from Thursday night through Saturday morning. Sun Valley and Brundage will see decent totals, though winds will be a factor on exposed ridges, gusting 30-40 mph.
Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, BC)
It is an active week for the PNW. A series of frontal systems will move through, keeping things unsettled. Whistler is the standout for consistency, with snow likely every day from Wednesday through Monday; expecting moderate density snow (SLR 10:1). In Washington, Stevens Pass (opening Friday) and Crystal Mountain will see significant accumulation over the weekend, with 10-15 inches possible by Sunday. However, be wary of wind holds, especially at Timberline and Mt. Bachelor, where gusts could exceed 80 mph on Friday and Saturday. Snow levels will fluctuate, rising to near 5,000 feet on Friday before crashing back down, so snow quality may be denser at the bases.
Utah
The Wasatch is setting up for a fantastic opening weekend for the Cottonwood Canyons. A “teaser” system Monday night through Wednesday will drop 3-6 inches of very fluffy (SLR ~17:1) snow at Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton. This will refresh surfaces nicely. The main event arrives Thursday night into Saturday. A strong westerly flow will slam the Wasatch, with orographics favoring the Upper Cottonwoods. We are forecasting 8-13 inches of accumulation for Alta and Snowbird by Saturday afternoon, with continuing light snow into Sunday. Winds will be moderate, gusting 30-45 mph on ridges, which should keep snow buffs smooth.
Colorado
Colorado gets a solid midweek refresh followed by a weekend dump. The first wave Tuesday/Wednesday is cold and efficient. Steamboat, Vail, and Winter Park will see 2-5 inches of high-quality snow. The pattern turns very favorable for the northern mountains by Friday. Steamboat is positioned perfectly for the weekend storm, with data suggesting a widespread 10-16 inches by Saturday afternoon. The Central Mountains (Breckenridge, Copper) will do well also, likely in the 4-8 inch range for the weekend. The San Juans (Wolf Creek, Telluride) will see lighter amounts from the second storm but decent accumulation from the first wave on Wednesday.
Extended Outlook
Looking past the weekend, the active pattern appears to persist. The 6-10 day outlook suggests above-average precipitation continuing for the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies as the jet stream remains active, though a slight warming trend may introduce denser snow to lower elevations early next week.
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