Weather
This forecast is brought to you by Aspen Snowmass.
Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, stays in a warm spring pattern through Monday, March 30, then turns cooler and more unsettled from Tuesday afternoon into Thursday morning. Confidence is highest in that Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning stretch, when the mountains should pick up a light refresh with the best shot at 3″-5″ around Snowmass and about 2″-4″ near Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands. Before that, expect soft afternoons, only modest overnight recovery, and periodic southwest gusts. After the midweek wave, another round of snow looks possible late Friday into Saturday, but guidance is notably less settled on timing and totals.
Guidance is tightly converged through Monday on dry weather, unusually warm temperatures, and daily southwest wind. Afternoon mountain temperatures run well into the 40s and locally near 50°F, so surfaces should refreeze only marginally overnight and then soften quickly each day, especially on sunnier terrain. Winds are the main ski impact, with most guidance supporting afternoon gusts around 25 to 35 mph and the strongest breezes on Monday. Aside from a few passing clouds, there is little signal for meaningful snowfall before Tuesday, so this stretch is more about spring snow quality than fresh coverage.
Confidence is highest from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning, when guidance converges on a weak front and a long period of light mountain snow. Timing is fairly consistent, with snow filling in Tuesday afternoon or evening, continuing through much of Wednesday, and tapering early Thursday. Intensity is modest, but agreement is good enough to lean into a widespread refresh: published totals favor 3″-5″ at Snowmass, 2″-4″ at Aspen Mountain, 2″-4″ at Aspen Highlands, and about 1″ at Buttermilk. Snow levels during the steadiest period generally fall from around 9,500 feet toward 8,500 feet, winds look manageable, and snow ratios improve from a dense 3-7 early to a fairer 8-12 by Wednesday night.
Beyond Thursday, timing and intensity spread again, so the Friday-to-Saturday period is better treated as a possible second refresh than a locked-in storm. Most guidance still shows another shot of mountain snow, but it splits on when it arrives, how long it lasts, and how much wind comes with it. A conservative read is for another 2″-6″ in the higher terrain, with a wetter outlier capable of more, and colder air would support better quality than the midweek snow with ratios often in the 10-18 range. Snow levels also look lower than midweek, which would favor all snow at the ski areas if that wave comes together. By Sunday into early next week, the broader signal tilts back toward drier weather and a gradual warming trend.
Resort Forecast Totals (Tue Mar 31 – Thu Apr 02)
- Snowmass – 3″-5″
- Aspen Mountain – 2″-4″
