It’s been over three weeks since the first ski resorts opened in Summit County using mostly manmade snow, and the state of snow hasn’t improved much since.

While it won’t contribute significantly to the snowpack, current forecasts show a few chances for snow to make its way to Summit’s mountains. 

According to snowpack data from the federal National Water and Climate Center, Summit County is at 22% of the 30-year median for snowpack levels.

National Weather Service Boulder office forecaster Bernie Meier said there is a system passing over Colorado heading into the weekend, but it will favor the state’s southern and eastern portions in terms of precipitation. It could bring some precipitation Thursday night into Friday, but Meier said it’s not going to drastically change the snowpack currently on the slopes — if it changes it at all. 

He said current weather models show “it’s not setting up enough to be a good system. … Not good for snowfall, anyways.” 

OpenSnow founder and meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote in his Colorado snow blog that there’s an upside potential with the storm expected to span Wednesday afternoon into Friday, though the details remain uncertain.

“This storm will have a LOT of moisture, which sets the stage for a lot of snow — if storm energy moves over the moisture and turns it into snow.” Gratz wrote. “The storm energy will be wobbling around, and any spot that happens to get lucky with more storm energy will get more snow than forecast (and vice versa).”

Forecasts demonstrate Thursday could see a high of 47 degrees in valley areas like Frisco, but temps could drop down to the mid-20s at night. Meier said models show high-altitude areas could get 1 to 5 inches of snow, while valley areas could get up to 2 inches Thursday night going into Friday.

Meteorologist-founded weather app OpenSnow’s outlook shows Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort could all have 2 inches of snow Friday. 

Meier said Friday will bring temps in the highs 30s to the mid 40s that could melt snow in valley areas. After midday Friday, there will be a pause in precipitation over the weekend, he said. Temperatures will climb to a possible high of 46 on Saturday and 48 on Sunday, with mostly clear skies slated for both. Monday could have a high of 47 in valley areas. 

Meier said a system expected to arrive Monday will be similar to the one passing through Thursday and will also favor the southern and eastern portions of the state for precipitation. He said there could be a sprinkling of snow between Monday and Tuesday that will likely only amount to a couple inches. 

OpenSnow demonstrates Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort could all get an inch Monday. The app forecasts the next chance for consistent snow for those resorts will be the last few days of November and the first few days of December. 

Meier said the lack of snow at the start of this ski season can be attributed to a high pressure loft that has been sitting over the intermountain West for most of October into the first few weeks of November. He said this pushes the storm track north to the northern Rocky Mountains and into Canada. He said that as track of the system moves into the southeastern part of the country, it has brought more precipitation to places on the Great Lakes while leaving places like Colorado dry. 

He said models show an adjustment to the location of the high pressure loft next week, but it could move too far north to bring strong precipitation to Colorado.