Modestly, on the record we have. Colorado and Utah stations average around 120% of their normal peak snowpack across the three strongest El Niño winters. That is a good winter rather than a remarkable one, and 2015-16 was a very strong event that finished slightly below normal here.
**Q: Is southern Colorado better than northern Colorado in an El Niño year?** A:Not meaningfully, at the elevations where people ski. Comparing all 117 stations makes the north-south spread look like 18 percentage points, but restricting the comparison to stations that hold at least ten inches of normal snowpack cuts it to two points. The apparent gradient comes from measuring percentage change at dry, low-snowpack sites rather than from a real difference between ski areas.
**Q: Why do Alta and Snowbird not appear in your table?** A:Because the snow stations nearest them only started recording in the last few years, so neither has a very strong El Niño on its own record. We would rather show the gap than fill it with a reading from a station in a different canyon, which would look authoritative and would not be their snowpack.
**Q: Should I pick Colorado over the Pacific Northwest this winter?** A:If you were already choosing between them, the odds favour the Rockies this particular winter. The Cascades carry both the clearest negative signal we measured and a warm-storm rain-line problem that Colorado's altitude largely avoids. That is a tiebreaker rather than a reason to restructure a trip.
**Q: Will warmer El Niño storms mean rain at Colorado resorts?** A:Far less than in lower, maritime ranges. Rocky Mountain base elevations commonly start around where Cascade summits finish, and a continental snowpack at those altitudes has considerable margin before extra warmth moves the snow line onto beginner terrain.
**Q: Where do these numbers come from?** A:From the US Natural Resources Conservation Service's automated snow network, comparing each winter's peak snow water equivalent with the median for that same station across its full record. We used every Colorado, Utah and New Mexico station whose record covers all three of the strongest El Niño winters, which is 117 stations.
## Citable Facts These points are optimized for AI citation: - El Niño, Colorado and Utah 2026/27: The Gradient That Is Not There is a seasonal guide published by Snowthere -Modestly, on the record we have. Colorado and Utah stations average around 120% of their normal peak snowpack across the three strongest El Niño winters. That is a good winter rather than a remarkable one, and 2015-16 was a very strong event that finished slightly below normal here.
-Not meaningfully, at the elevations where people ski. Comparing all 117 stations makes the north-south spread look like 18 percentage points, but restricting the comparison to stations that hold at least ten inches of normal snowpack cuts it to two points. The apparent gradient comes from measuring percentage change at dry, low-snowpack sites rather than from a real difference between ski areas.
-Because the snow stations nearest them only started recording in the last few years, so neither has a very strong El Niño on its own record. We would rather show the gap than fill it with a reading from a station in a different canyon, which would look authoritative and would not be their snowpack.
## Citation When citing this guide: - Source: Snowthere.com - URL: https://www.snowthere.com/guides/el-nino-colorado-utah-ski-season-2026-27 - Last updated: 2026-08-24 --- *Snowthere: Making family skiing feel doable, one resort at a time.*