The Season's First Major Winter Storm Is Starting To Take Shape
Ski resorts from California to Alberta have recorded their first flakes of the season, but these storms have been small, and the snow hasn’t stuck around.
That could change with a storm expected to hit the western U.S. next week, according to meteorologist Chris Tomer.
Tomer, a popular meteorologist amongst skiers, said in his Mountain Weather Update for October 6, 2026, that a cold front is brewing in the Northern Rockies. It is expected to combine with moisture from Hurricane Rachel and deliver snow to Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and parts of Colorado from October 10-14, 2026.
“Overall, when I look at this, it looks like Montana is going to be the coldest spot with, probably, the most snow, maybe [even] down close to the valley floors,” Tomer says.
Tap or click below to watch Tomer’s full forecast. Keep reading for more.
The storm is expected to deliver snow from Marmot Basin in Alberta to Wolf Creek in Colorado, although the Centennial State isn’t expecting deep totals like Montana and Idaho.
Tomer focuses his forecast on ski resorts but notes that some peaks in the upper Intermountain West could see snowfall totals exceeding 2 feet. Gannet Peak, a 13,810 ft. behemoth east of Jackson Hole, for example, could see 28 inches of snow from the storm.
Let’s break down which ski resorts could see the most snow, according to meteorologist Chris Tomer.
Ski Resort Snowfall Forecast, October 10-14, 2026, According to Chris Tomer
- Marmot Basin, Alberta: 16 inches (40cm)
- Big Sky, Montana: 11 inches
- Sunshine Village, Alberta: 10 inches (25cm)
- Bridger Bowl, Montana: 10 inches
- Discovery Ski Area, Montana: 10 inches
- Grand Targhee, Wyoming: 7 inches
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming: 7 inches
- Alta Ski Area, Utah: 6 inches
- Brian Head, Utah: 3 inches
- Mt. Bachelor, Oregon: 3 inches
- Crested Butte, Colorado: 2 inches
- Wolf Creek, Colorado: 1 inch
Tomer is confident that snow will fall, but ended his forecast with a slight caveat: “We still have a few days of fine-tuning to figure out how all of this has come together. I mean, obviously, the new player is the X Factor today, which is that additional tropical moisture that may get funneled in, which is just incredible, unprecedented in many ways.”
Tomer is referring to the seemingly endless streak of hurricanes and tropical storms that have developed in the Pacific Ocean this summer and fall. This first winter storm is expected to be influenced by Hurricane Rachel, which is currently spinning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and a yet-to-be-named tropical system that’s developing near Mexico.
California’s coast has been battered by multiple storms over the last two months, and meteorologists, including Tomer, have pointed to the impending “super El Niño” as the culprit.
Photo: Courtesy Arizona Snowbowl
The season’s first “real” storm is always exciting, and POWDER will be ready to cover it.
And, who knows, with temperatures dropping and snowmaking machines at the ready, will we see the first ski resorts opening in Colorado by the middle of the month? Or will the formidable Ski Ward, Massachusetts, steal the show with its all-weather snowmaking machine as it did back in 2023?
Winter, and more importantly, ski season, is coming, friends. Get ready. We are.
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