The forecast calls for late-April and early May snowfalls in parts of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, but it won't fix the notable lack of snow that has been plaguing the Colorado Rockies.
The snow over the next few days could total up to two feet in the highest elevations of the Colorado Rockies, according to a forecast from NOAA's Weather Prediction Center. Lesser amounts are forecast for the mountains of Wyoming and Montana. "This is a classic setup for mountain snow ... in a region that could sorely use any precipitation of note," the WPC said in a forecast.
How bad has it been? "The snowpack during the 2025-2026 [season] in Colorado was near or at a record low for most locations in the state and at most times during the winter," said meteorologist Joel Gratz of OpenSnow, a website devoted to Colorado snowfall. "This snow will help a little bit (every flake and drop helps) but it will not break the drought," he told USA TODAY via email.
Drought expert Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center agreed: "Depending on where you are in Colorado, this is one of the worst snow seasons on record with some locations actually recording their least amount of snow for the season."
"The snow drought and drought in general are very serious," AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines told USA TODAY via email. "The northwest part of Colorado is in an exceptional drought, which is the most serious category. Parts of Colorado haven't had consecutive months of above-normal precipitation since 2024."
