First snow of the season falls in Colorado overnight Thursday

The first noticeable snow of the season fell in Colorado's high country overnight Thursday, marking a definitive change from the summer to fall seasons.

Reports of snow from Rocky Mountain National Park and Cameron Pass in the northern Front Range to Loveland Pass and even Pikes Peak in the southern parts were captured on multiple web cameras along the Front Range.

An automated Snotel site at the Berthoud Pass summit recorded 0.3 inches of snow water equivalent Thursday morning.

Summit County ski area Arapahoe Basin received a dusting on the upper mountain too.

"While summer operations will run on weekends through Sept. 22, we’re itching to get back on snow," the resort said. "Same as every year, our opening date is TBD but ASAP – all pending Mother Nature and conditions."

A cold front passed through metro Denver around 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, with the snow falling above 11,500 feet overnight Thursday as temperatures cooled.

Thursday's high-country snow is a bit behind typical schedule of first dustings and noticeable snows. The first dustings usually occur in mid- to late-August, but were later in the season for 2024.

The average first snow in Denver is Oct. 18.

Thursday's mountain snow will melt quickly, however, and the first measurable snow adding to the state's snowpack won't begin until the beginning of October.

The automated weather station atop Berthoud Pass registered a temperature hovering around 32 degrees around 12 a.m., Thursday morning.