Snowbird measured 18 inches of new snow by Wednesday, Oct. 14, after Tropical Storm Rachel's remnants delivered the first major snowfall of the 2026-27 season to the Cottonwood Canyons.
Alta, Snowbird's neighbor in Little Cottonwood Canyon, recorded 16 inches by the same morning, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Both resorts sit in the closest ski terrain to Millcreek.
The snow started Tuesday, Oct. 13. Snowbird's snow stake went from bare board to nearly 16 inches by early evening. Alta's webcam showed 14 inches that afternoon. Each resort added about 2 more inches overnight, KPCW reported.
The storm formed when Rachel's leftover moisture combined with a cold low-pressure system from the Pacific Northwest, according to Christine Kruse, a lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Salt Lake City office. Kruse told the Tribune the appearance of tropical storm remnants in Utah is rare, estimating she has seen it happen only twice in 20 years.
Big Cottonwood Canyon got snow too. OpenSnow predicted Brighton Resort would pick up about 8 inches by Tuesday night. Solitude, lower in the canyon, was forecast for closer to 4 inches, but its snow stake webcam showed almost a foot that afternoon.
Not every resort saw significant snow. Deer Valley and Park City Mountain barely turned white. Resorts in Ogden Valley and near Logan recorded no more than a skiff.
Evan Thayer, OpenSnow's Utah forecaster, said actual accumulation likely exceeded what the snow stakes captured. "It would snow a couple of inches, then melt off and then snow again," Thayer wrote in his blog Oct. 13, "and this happened a few times before it stuck for good."
All four Wasatch Front resorts were forecast to add another 2 to 4 inches on Wednesday, Oct. 14, before the system moves on. Thayer said another storm of similar size could arrive around Tuesday, Oct. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 21, though it may again skip northern Utah.
The totals contrast with a weak 2025-26 season. Ski area visits across the Mountain West fell nearly 25% from the prior year, according to the National Ski Areas Association, as Aspen Public Radio reported.
Utah's 2026-27 ski season is set to open Nov. 6 at Brian Head Resort, conditions permitting.
