October Cold Front and Snow Heads for North America

Featured Image: Courtesy of Big Sky Resort

The first consistent cold front of winter 2026/27 is making landfall this weekend, with Oregon, Washington, northern California, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana all expecting a significant temperature drop. Importantly, those same states can see anywhere from five to 15 inches of snowfall at higher elevations.

OpenSnow meteorologist Alan Smith has said he expects Montana and Alberta to see the majority of the action, with cold air from the Polar Jet Stream meeting precipitation along the U.S. Canada border. Though not yet open for the season, Montana's Great Divide Ski Area could see nearly 20 inches of snow by Tuesday morning, 10/13.

Montana ski resorts east of the Great Divide will also see snow, with Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Lost Trail and others expecting six to ten inches of snow through the weekend.

"A cold storm will impact Alberta and Montana this weekend as the polar jet stream dips southward in the Northwest U.S. and winds blowing from the northeast favor the eastern side of the Continental Divide," Smith explained in his briefing on October 9.

*Low pressure troughing (blue/purple) and high pressure ridging (red/yellow) will make for an interesting few days*

**Photo**: OpenSnow

While Montana's stretch of the Northern Rockies will be the biggest focal point of the storm, other mountains are due for their share of October pow as well, according to Smith . Alta, Snowbird and the high reaches of Utah's Wasatch Range could see 19 inches of snow by Monday, though it won't be blower. Expect a mix of sleet and snow from Utah through central Colorado.

The cold front will drastically lower temperatures compared to the previous weeks, but by no means is this the start of full-on winter. That said, Smith claims that "confidence is growing" for the arrival of colder air in the Central Rockies on October 14.

This heavy precipitation in the Southwest, influenced by incoming tropical storms, tracks with current El Niño predictions. Is this a sign that we're all due for a pow-fueled winter? No. But is it at least a morsel of hope that winter is indeed on its way? Absolutely, yes.