TL;DR
Most of Colorado's ski resorts have already closed for the season, but a late-May cold snap is about to dump serious snow on those still running. Eldora is the standout with 20 inches forecast, while Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland are also in line for meaningful totals. A solid end-of-season bonus for anyone still on snow.
Eldora is forecast to pick up 20 inches from a late-May Colorado storm - and most resorts aren't even open to see it.
A cold trough pushing through Colorado from Sunday night into Monday is set to deliver the biggest late-season snowfall event in weeks, with Eldora leading all resorts at a forecast 20 inches. Winter Park isn't far behind at 7-11 inches, while Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, Keystone and Copper Mountain are all in the mix for meaningful accumulations. The catch is that most of Colorado's major resorts have already closed for the season - so the timing is better suited to a snow report bragging right than an actual powder day for most skiers.
What the storm looks like
The setup involves a cold trough arriving Sunday night, dropping snow levels from roughly 10,000-11,000 feet early in the storm down to around 6,500-8,500 feet by Monday. That fall in snow levels is what makes the difference between a wet spring slush event and actual accumulating snow at upper-mountain elevations. Snow quality is expected to be dense early - snow-to-liquid ratios of around 8:1 to 12:1 - before briefly improving to 12:1 to 15:1 in colder Monday night showers. Not exactly powder, but a reasonable late-May outcome given the calendar.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday ahead of the main event are more unsettled than useful for accumulation, with showers and thunderstorms keeping snow levels generally above 9,500-11,500 feet during the warmer part of the weekend. Wind is also a factor - gusts forecast to reach 40-50 mph across the southern and central mountains as the trough approaches, which is worth factoring in for anyone still on snow.
