Amid a mild November, a small amount of snow accumulation is expected in Summit County starting Saturday night before a dry spell headed into the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the National Weather Service.

A weather system expected to roll in around Thanksgiving is perhaps the best bet for Coloradans dreaming of a snowstorm that will help the region’s ski resorts open more terrain, National Weather Service forecaster David Barjenbruch said.

But Barjenbruch said he isn’t getting his hopes up.

“Post-holiday, there is reasonable agreement that we are going to see a weather system move into the area either Thanksgiving night or Friday,” Barjenbruch said. “It doesn’t look like a big storm right now. Looking into the crystal ball, we don’t see a lot of potential for storm-makers in the next couple weeks.”

Summit County is expected to see a couple snow showers through this weekend ahead of most holiday travel. It should remain mostly dry until about sundown Saturday, Nov. 18, Barjenbruch said.

Snow showers are forecast to roll into the mountains as it gets dark Saturday and linger through Sunday morning, bringing the potential for an inch or two in and around Summit County, Barjenbruch said. Another round of snow showers Sunday night into Monday morning could bring another inch or two of snow, he said.

“I have to say, signs looked good earlier in the week for more accumulating snow,” Barjenbruch said. “Now it looks like the storm is trending southward, so that doesn’t mean a lot of snow accumulations for Summit County.”

Temperatures will remain mild through Sunday before dropping into the teens Sunday night and remaining in the 20s or lower 30s Monday, perhaps creating decent conditions for snowmaking, Barjenbruch said.

The good news for holiday travelers, Barjenbruch said, is that the weather is expected to remain dry Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then forecasters are keeping their eyes on the weather system moving in Thanksgiving day or Friday, he said.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a big storm coming our way,” Barjenbruch said. “If you’re looking for a big dump to get that base down, your best chance is Thanksgiving weekend.”

Overall, the next two weeks are expected to be drier than normal for November, Barjenbruch said. So far this winter, the storms that have come through Summit County have not brought a lot of precipitation, he said, noting that the past week and a half or longer has been dry.

Over at OpenSnow, founder and lead meteorologist Joel Gratz had similar predictions. Gratz said in his daily snow report Friday, Nov. 17, that the storm rolling in around Thanksgiving “does not appear to be a significant snow producer.”

Still, Gratz wrote he is keeping his eye on the storm as the latest models “are becoming a bit more optimistic for at least moderate snow totals,” with what could be “some low-end powder amounts” around Nov. 24.

In terms of the short-term forecast for this weekend, OpenSnow estimates average snowfall in the 3-6 inch range in the Summit County area between Saturday and Monday. Breckenridge Ski Resort, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and Loveland Ski Area are all right on the edge of pockets that could receive slightly more snow.

Earlier this week A-Basin’s Facebook page said there were a few good, cold nights for snowmaking, even with warm daytime temperatures earlier this week, helping the snowmaking team prepare to open the Lenawee Express lift and top to bottom skiing.

Meanwhile, Keystone Resort stated that staff there are looking hopefully toward the upcoming weekend showers, noting in a Facebook post that there is “snow in the forecast as our teams work hard to get more terrain open.”

Also noting snow in the forecast, Breckenridge Ski Resort called on winter enthusiasts to comment a snowflake emoji as offering to Ullr, the god of snow and patron saint of skiers in Norse mythology, in a recent Facebook post. 

With colder temperatures on the way, Breckenridge said that the snowmaking teams are working to get upper Peak 9, including Beaver Run and Mercury SuperChair, open next.

While it doesn’t look like winter will really get rolling in November, Barjenbruch said it is early in the season, so while some skiers and snowboarders may be feeling antsy, there is still plenty of time for powder.

“Don’t get too concerned because we are so early in the season. Hopefully we can make the most of these next few weather systems,” Barjenbruch said. “This next one is trending pretty weak unfortunately.”