Twin storms are expected to bring several inches of snow to the Colorado high country starting Tuesday morning and continuing into Wednesday afternoon.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Bruno Rodriguez, snow totals of about 2 to 6 inches are possible in central mountain valleys, with heavier accumulation likely in high elevation zones above 10,000 feet.

Snow is expected to begin Tuesday morning with intermittent showers throughout the day. A second wave of precipitation will occur on Wednesday morning with light, isolated showers until the afternoon.

“Most roads will likely remain OK, especially at lower elevations,” Rodriguez said, “but there could be some slippery parts near passes,” including Vail Pass and around the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels.

This week’s storm is not expected to be as strong as the storm two weekends ago, which brought nearly two feet of powder to some mountainous areas in the state’s southwest.

According to estimates from OpenSnow.comThe , Summit and Vail ski areas could see between 3 and 9 inches of snowfall over the next five days, with more snow expected west of Vail Pass. Further south, the Aspen Mountains could see between 4 and 14 inches, while to the north, Steamboat Ski Resort could see 8 inches.

OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in a blog post on Monday, October 28th that southwesterly winds generally favor higher amounts of snow toward the southern and central mountains.

“After the storm moves over Colorado, temperatures will cool and wind direction will be from the west and west-northwest,” Gratz wrote, adding that this is expected to result in additional snowfall affecting the northern and central mountains as well as the north side of the South favors mountains.

“Perhaps the better news is that temperatures will be cold enough for at least a few days of 24/7 snowmaking,” Gratz wrote. “Looking far ahead, more storms are possible early next week.”

So far only one ski area, Wolf Creekhas opened for the 2024-25 season, but additional openings are expected to be imminent. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, usually considered one of the first resorts to have its lifts operational, has claimed it will open as soon as possible. This happened on October 29th last year.

The rest of the week is expected to remain dry after Wednesday, although some rainfall is possible on Sunday. The next best chance of snow will likely be early to mid next week.

“With snow forecast and solid snowmaking conditions on the way, I estimate that some resorts will begin operating lifts in the first few days of November,” Gratz wrote.

There is an increased chance of above normal temperatures in late October and early November in the mountainous region of Colorado, according to an eight- to 14-day forecast from the Climate Prediction Center.

At the same time, there is a low probability of above-average rainfall in the region.

Looking further ahead, the months of November, December and January could see above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall, the forecast center saidalthough long-term forecasts are far less certain and subject to change.