Ahead of the season’s first major winter snowstorm, the National Weather Service has downgraded its snowfall forecast. In short, this means that most of Colorado’s peaks are expected to see significantly less snow over the weekend than expected mid-week, although the southwest region is still likely to see significant snow accumulations.

The expectation of 4 feet or more on select peaks in the San Juans has been downgraded to about 2 to 3 feet of snow in the “most likely” scenario (though some favored areas still have a chance of a little more). For example, the city of Silverton was expected to receive about 12 to 18 inches from Friday morning through Sunday morning, according to a report Thursday morning. As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service’s expected snowfall report for this period now shows that 15 to 20 inches of snowfall is likely in Silverton in the most likely scenario.

Perhaps most concerning for Colorado’s slope sports enthusiasts is the overall decline in snow expectations in the Central Mountain region. Reports that initially showed about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) along the I-70 corridor during the weekend storm are now peaking at about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) or less.

It will still snow in Colorado this weekend, but not as much as expected, and the southwest region will be heavily impacted.

As the end of October approaches, it looks like the October opening of all Colorado ski resorts is still up in the air. Based on this forecast alone, Wolf Creek appears to have the best chance of opening early just considering natural snow. However, temperatures in the mountains are actually getting steadily colder, and the Arapahoe Basin officially reported snow cannons firing Friday morning.

Can Colorado skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes before Halloween? We’ll have to wait and see.

For more weather information, visit the National Weather Service website.