Dusting of snow in Colorado

Longs Peak looking good this morning with a new dusting of snow. The actual first measurable snow of the season fell on 8/19/2021.

A dusting also hit the Indian Peaks, higher parts of the Divide, Gore Range, and 10-Mile Range. The view in Grand Lake this morning from friend John Williams:

Another great photo here from Steamboat by Larry Pierce.

Snow can fall any month of the year on Colorado’s 13ers/14ers. We’ll see more frequent cold fronts in October and November – every few days. These fronts will have progressively more wind above treeline. October-January is the windy season in Colorado’s mountains. Wind gusts this morning are reaching 50mph over Berthoud Pass with air temps in the low 20s.

Berthoud Pass wind gusts 9/20/2021

My belief is that October-November will be abnormally warm and dry across Colorado’s mountains. “Real” winter may not arrive until December as La Nina kicks in.

Calendar Fall officially arrives on Wednesday (9/22).