Big snow storm in May? This forecast might surprise you
Prediction requires Snowfalls in late April and early May in parts of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, but it won’t offset the significant lack of snow that plagues the Colorado Rockies.
snow for the next few days According to an estimate by , it could total up to two meters at the highest elevations of the Colorado Rockies. NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. Less amounts are predicted for the mountains of Wyoming and Montana. “This is a classic setup for mountain snow, in a region that could desperately need any precipitation.” WPC said in a forecast.
How bad did it get? “Snow package for the 2025-2026 period [season] “For most places in Colorado and most of the time during the winter months, it was near record lows or near record lows,” said Colorado meteorologist Joel Gratz. OpenSnow is a website dedicated to snowfall in Colorado. “This snow will help a little (every flake and drop helps), but it won’t eliminate the drought,” he told USA TODAY via email.
Drought expert Brian Fuchs National Drought Mitigation Center agreed: “Depending on where you are in Colorado, this is one of the worst snow seasons on record; some places are actually recording the least amount of snow for this season.”
“Snow drought and drought in general are very serious,” AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines told USA TODAY via email. “The northwestern part of Colorado is facing an exceptional drought, the most severe category. Some parts of Colorado have not experienced consecutive months of above-normal precipitation since 2024.”
Is snow unusual this late season?
Additional snow could be 6-24 inches between April 28 and May 7, Gratz said. “Late-season snow is not unusual; Colorado’s mountains experience significant snowfall at least through mid-May.”
But Fuchs said, “It’s hard to see persistent/accumulated snow this time of year (due to warming temperatures), so we’re not planning on adding a lot of snow to the seasonal totals for (Colorado’s) highest peaks.”
A person and his dog go for a walk at Lake Dillon in Frisco, Colorado, on March 26, 2026; Lake levels remain low due to poor winter snowfall, raising drought concerns. Behind them are docks standing in the mud.
“While every little bit helps, the next few weeks of snow and rain won’t help much. It will help some in the short term, but it won’t come close to ending the long-term drought,” Kines said. he said.
Are most ski areas closed right now?
“Yes, most ski areas are closed,” Gratz said. “Arapahoe Basin and Copper Mountain are still open and plan to close on Sunday, May 3. Arapahoe Basin usually stays open until June, but not this season.”
Snow is expected in the higher elevations of the Colorado Rockies later this week, but it’s not expected to help the ongoing drought.
Lack of snow means ‘less water in the tank’
Gratz said snow is another form of water storage, and much of the western United States is generally an arid climate where every drop and snowflake helps. “Lack of water affects many aspects of life,” he said.
Fuchs explained: “Snow accumulation is ‘accumulated’ moisture that is used later in the summer. As we see now, most of the snow has already melted and there will be no water flow to rivers/streams/lakes/reservoirs in the summer.”
That means less water will be available for plants, animals, people and agriculture later this summer, he said. Irrigation water providers are already warning customers that deliveries are decreasing, Fuchs said. “This also means we will see less water in storage in the future, which could lead to further water restrictions.”
Is there any hope of rain this summer?
Gratz added a hopeful note: “El Niño building could create above-average precipitation conditions in some areas this spring, summer and fall, so perhaps the atmosphere can now work to save us from the drought it created.”
Kines agrees, saying “there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Weather in late June and July could offer a few rounds of storms, which could be very beneficial.”
This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Despite snow drought, snowstorms will hit Colorado in May
