Crested Butte in short
The numbers in three sentences
NOAA's Dec–Feb 2026-27 outlook for Crested Butte: temperature equal chances; precipitation 33–39% chance Above normal.
Among the 9 strong El Niño winters with complete records, the snowiest here was 1957-58 (234.5 in, 116% of normal) and the least snowy was 2015-16 (155.2 in, 76% of normal).
In the “Big Three” El Niño winters it recorded 1982-83 (234.0 in, 115% of normal), 1997-98 (190.0 in, 94% of normal), 2015-16 (155.2 in, 76% of normal).
Snow by winter
The chart as a table: inches, % of normal, El Niño peak
Snow in past strong El Niño winters
Winters with above-normal snow
4 of 9
In 4 of 9 strong El Niño winters, Crested Butte got above-normal snow (median 94% of normal).
Normal: 203.0 in per season (NOAA 1991–2020 normal).
| Winter | % of normal |
|---|---|
| 1957-58234.5 inPeak ONI 1.69 / RONI 1.89 | 116% |
| 1965-66168.5 inPeak ONI 1.82 / RONI 1.99 | 83% |
| 1972-73209.8 inPeak ONI 1.84 / RONI 1.97 | 103% |
| 1982-83Big 3234.0 inPeak ONI 2.14 / RONI 2.40 | 115% |
| 1991-92169.0 inPeak ONI 1.54 / RONI 2.12 | 83% |
| 1997-98Big 3190.0 inPeak ONI 2.37 / RONI 2.28 | 94% |
| 2009-10167.2 inPeak ONI 1.50 / RONI 1.50 | 82% |
| 2015-16Big 3155.2 inPeak ONI 2.59 / RONI 2.25 | 76% |
| 2023-24204.6 inPeak ONI 1.99 / RONI 1.42 | 101% |
Snowfall from the nearest long-record NOAA station: CRESTED BUTTE (8,867 ft), 3 km from the resort. Resort-reported totals may differ.
Past strong El Niño winters are a guide, not a forecast. Every El Niño is different: this one comes with a negative PDO, which NOAA says may dampen typical impacts.
NOAA's outlook and El Niño now
Issued Sep 17, 2026 · next Oct 15, 2026
NOAA Dec–Feb outlook
Official- Temperature
- Equal chances
- Precipitation
- 33–39% chance Above normal
Issued Sep 17, 2026 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. Next update Oct 15, 2026.
El Niño now
- NOAA status
- El Niño Advisory
- RONI, JAS 2026
- +1.69 °C
- Chance of very strong (≥ +2.0 °C) in Dec–Feb
- 81%
NOAA status: El Niño Advisory. El Niño continues to strengthen, with a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027 (remaining greater than an 83% chance). (NOAA CPC, Oct 8, 2026.)
About this station
CRESTED BUTTE · ACIS 051959
- Station: CRESTED BUTTE, ACIS id
051959. - Resort coordinates hand-entered (UNVERIFIED: no Wikipedia coordinates found).
- Nearest long-record NOAA COOP station: CRESTED BUTTE (COOP 051959, 8,867 ft, 3 km away; snow record 1909-06-01…2026-10-04).
- This is a nearby long-term station, not summit or resort-reported snowfall.
How we pick stations and count winters: method & sources. Last updated .
Not a forecast
This is not a weather forecast. Seasonal outlooks are probabilities from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center; past El Niño winters show what happened, not what will happen. Snowfall is from NOAA station records (ACIS) and may contain gaps or station changes. For forecasts and warnings, use weather.gov. Not affiliated with NOAA/NWS.